Guilty Conscience
by whereistheark
Summary: Kenny, now age twenty-two, has something big weighing on his mind. He no longer has anyone to protect. His sister, Karen, is… gone. Disappeared. He blames himself for what he can't change. Kenny feels like he is treading water; getting nowhere. Until someone unexpected shows up.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, taking a different turn here. I figured that I don't give Kenny enough love, so I wanted to write a fanfiction just for him. I'm taking a break from "I Won't Forget" for a little while as I have massive writers block on it, and it's not getting much attention right now so I won't bother it. I hope you guys like the start of this one, please tell me what you think and review, it helps me a lot and helps me continue my stories. Thanks, guys!**

* * *

><p>Kenny wasn't fast enough. He couldn't save her this time. The countless times he had saved her, but this time… this time was different. He could only save her physically, not mentally. Karen, his beloved sister, was… gone. Just like that. He blamed his parents. He even blamed himself. He was devastated when he got the news from his brother.<p>

"Kenny, there was nothing we could do. She stopped taking her meds. You have to stop blaming yourself. She was too far gone to help." He had said. The words echoed in Kenny's mind. As Mysterion, he had been Karen's guardian angel. Now it was time for Karen to be _his _guardian angel, in death, if need be.

Mysterion sat atop the Mayor's building in South Park. This had been his home his entire life. He was twenty two years old now; his sister Karen was nineteen when she had committed suicide. Mysterion closed his eyes, the memory flashing in his mind, recalling the time they were placed in foster care in Greeley, Colorado. He had been her guardian angel then, and she had never known it was him the whole time. She talked about Mysterion frequently, with her friends, family, even Kenny. Kenny would play along, nodding as Karen talked on and on about Mysterion; how mysterious and intriguing he was. Sometimes he got tired of hearing about it, but he was glad Karen had something to be hopeful about.

A cold breeze ruffled Mysterion's cape as he leaped down from the building. The moon was high, stars dotting the midnight sky. One star stood out from the rest. Mysterion liked to think it was Karen, watching from above. It twinkled brightly, as if signaling to him. Mysterion smiled to himself. "I'll get justice for you, Karen. Just you wait. I'm sure you know it's me by now." He whispered to the night sky. "I'm sure you know."

* * *

><p>Kenny had scraped up enough money to buy his own apartment. He was in the same building as Cartman, Kyle and Stan. The four had remained friends throughout elementary, middle, and high School. Kyle and Stan stayed together as roommates, and Cartman bunked with Butters. Oddly enough, the friendship with Butters and Cartman had grown while they were in high school together. Kenny wanted to live in solitude. Stan and Kyle were attending classes at CU Boulder online. Kenny worked a full time job as a mechanic, and was going to attend college when he could earn enough money to pay for it. Cartman was working as the manager for a prestigious company called "Motivation Corp." down on Colfax Avenue in Denver. He was always good at getting his way and convincing people to partake in the product or service he was providing. Being a business man was his forte.<p>

Kenny sat on his worn out sofa he had bought from a moving neighbor from across the way. He flipped through the channels, uninterested in what was on TV. He ruffled a hand through his unruly blonde hair and sighed. It had been two weeks since Karen had committed suicide. Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Butters were trying to cheer him up.

There was a knock at the door. "Hey, Kenny, it's Stan and Kyle." A voice sounded from beyond the door. It was Stan speaking for the pair. Kenny got up and shuffled to the door, unlatching the lock and opening it.

"Hey, dude. How are you?" Kyle asked, looking Kenny up and down.

"Fine, I guess." Kenny shrugged.

"Hey, I heard a new girl is attending South Park College, and is moving in next to you. She's pretty cute, dude. I think you have a shot with her." Stan nudged his friend in the shoulder. Kenny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, really? What's she like?" Kenny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, she has long, curly black hair, and a nice pair of-" Stan started, but Kyle slapped him in the back of the head. "Oww! Jesus!"

"What he _meant_ to say was, she looks really nice. You should go talk to her." Kyle glowered at Stan as he rubbed the back of his head, mumbling. As if on cue, a young woman the age of Kenny walked up from the stairs, humming to herself, with a big box in her arms. She had long, black curly hair just as Stan had said. Her body was slender, her hips swaying gracefully as she walked. She wore a purple cardigan, and matching lavender leggings, her hair in a side ponytail.

"Oh, hello." She smiled at the three young men. "Do one of you mind helping me with this box?"

Kyle nudged Kenny in the side. "Go on." He mumbled.

"Uhh, sure." Kenny replied, grabbing the box from her. It was heavy. Kenny stumbled under its weight. "What's in here, a few bowling balls?" Kenny joked. The woman smiled.

"It's a secret." She winked. The woman opened the door to the apartment, motioning Kenny inside. She instructed him to put the box in the back bedroom, in the closet. Kenny dusted off his hands when the job was done.

"Oh, how rude of me. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Karen."

"W-what?" Kenny had to take a double take. "Karen?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Karen. What's yours?"

"M-my name?" Kenny stammered.

"Yeah, silly!"

"My name is Kenny. It's, uhh, nice to meet you, Karen."

"Nice to meet you too, Kenny."

The two exited the apartment, Kyle and Stan still standing in front of Kenny's apartment, chatting away.

"I have a few more boxes in my car, do you mind helping me, Kenny?" Karen asked.

"Sure." Kenny answered.

Once all of the boxes were unloaded and in Karen's apartment, Karen invited Kenny in for a drink.

"Oh, I don't drink." Kenny said, holding out his hand to decline the drink in Karen's hand. "Personal reasons."

"Oh. That's ok." Karen smiled. "I understand." She opened the can in her hand, and Kenny caught sight of what the label said. _Pabst Blue Ribbon _was written on the can. Kenny grimaced at the memory of the foster care. And of his parents. It was his father's favorite beer. Karen plopped down on the love seat that was in the middle of the living room, and Kenny took the couch on the opposite side.

"Kenny?" Karen snapped Kenny out of his dark memory. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Just, thinking of things."

"What kind of things?" Karen took a sip of her drink.

"Stuff."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to tell me."

"S-sorry." Kenny stammered. "That drink reminded me of something."

"Reminded you of what, may I ask?"

"It just reminded me of that show back when I was a kid, _White Trash in Trouble, _if you remember that." Kenny lied. He wouldn't tell her what it _really _reminded him of.

Karen laughed. "Oh, yeah. _That_ show. It was so stupid. I remember staying up late with my father to watch it."

Kenny laughed uneasily.

"You okay, Ken?"

"Yeah…"

"Sorry, do you mind if I call you 'Ken'?"

"Not at all." Kenny smiled slightly.

There was a short silence. Karen sat her drink down.

"You know, I had a sister named Karen." Kenny started when the silence became awkward.

"'Had'?"

"Yeah."

"C-can I ask…"

"What happened?" Kenny finished for her.

"Yeah, if you don't mind sharing." Karen's face had a look of embarrassment. She picked at a loose thread on her sweater.

"She… committed suicide." Kenny felt a lump in his throat, the wound still fresh, the memory still implanted in his mind.

"O-oh… I'm so sorry…" Karen looked down, a look of worry on her face. Kenny could tell that she regretted asking him.

"It's alright." Kenny faked a smile. "She's in a better place now. I like to think of her as my guardian angel."

Karen smiled sympathetically. "That's sweet."

Kenny nodded, smiling back slightly.

"Would you at least like some water?" Karen asked, getting up and moving to the small kitchen.

"Oh, uhh, yes please." Kenny replied. Karen poured a glass of fresh water that was in the fridge in a large pitcher. She put the pitcher back in the fridge and walked over to Kenny, handing him the glass.

"Here you go." She smiled.

"Thanks." Kenny took a sip to be polite. He sat it down on the small coffee table that was separating the two.

After a few minutes of chatting about last night's Denver Broncos game, Karen frowned. "Well, I better let you get back to your friends. Hey, I'll see you later, alright? I gotta start unpacking the rest of my stuff."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Well… I didn't want to ask." Karen said shyly, a blush creeping on her already rosy cheeks.

"I don't mind." Kenny smiled.

Kenny noticed boxes stack on each other in the living room against the walls, and he moved to them.

"Those are just clothes. You can move those boxes into my room." Karen instructed. "Just those four boxes there, against the wall on the far side."

Kenny nodded and proceeded to carry the boxes into the room. Kenny noticed the box he had carried in earlier into the closet that was pretty heavy was slightly open now. The curiosity got the best of him and he began to peek into it. Before he could see what was in it, he was interrupted.

"Hey, Ken." Karen came up behind Kenny and he jumped. "You were in here for a while so I thought I'd come and check on you. You alright?"

"Yeah, uhh, sorry, I'll come and help you bring the other boxes in." Kenny smoothed out his orange blazer as he got up, dusting off his worn out blue jeans as well. "Kinda dusty in here."

"Yeah, manager of this part of the building says no one has lived in here for a while because some guy got shot and killed in here or something, I can't remember." Karen's voice reverberated down the hall as Kenny followed her.

"Oh. Spooky." Kenny replied.

"Now, here," Karen grabbed a box cutter and opened a box, revealing picture frames inside. "This room needs more décor. It's quite boring with just the white walls, isn't it?" Karen asked.

"Yeah." Kenny agreed. He didn't know how else to respond. Karen handed Kenny a frame with a picture inside. It was of Karen and two other people who looked to be her parents, and a dog beside her. Kenny smiled. "Nice picture."

"Thanks." Karen returned the gesture.

By the time the two were done unpacking the photos, the walls were more lively and vibrant. Karen and Kenny stood back, admiring their handy work. "Looks nice." Kenny said.

"Teamwork." Karen held up her hand and Kenny highfived her. "Always funner with another person to help. Thanks for your help, Ken."

"No problem." Kenny turned to her, smiling again.

"You wanna hang out some other time? I promise it won't include unpacking." Karen asked, a glimmer in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure. You're pretty cool to hang out with."

"Cool! I'll see you later, Ken. You can come over any time. Oh, here, here's my phone number if you need anything." Karen scribbled down her number on the back of an old business card. Kenny exchanged his as well.

"See you later, Karen."

"Bye, Ken."

Kenny left the apartment. Stan and Kyle were still chattering away in front of the door. Stan looked over when he saw Kenny exiting Karen's apartment. "You guys are still out here?" Kenny asked.

"We wanted to see the outcome. Well, what's her name?" Stan asked.

"K-Karen…" Kenny felt that familiar lump in his throat.

"Ohh… well that's…" Kyle answered, but stopped short.

"Nice." Stan finished for him.

"Yeah, nice." Kyle agreed, nodding along with Stan. "That's a nice name."

"So, what happened?" Kyle asked after a short silence.

"We just, talked for a while. I helped her unpack. We exchanged phone numbers. Nothing much." Kenny answered.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Ohh, her number already?"

Kenny nodded.

Kyle nudged Kenny in the side. "Oooo…"

Kenny playfully shoved Kyle away. "It's not like that, Kyle."

"Sure it isn't." Kyle raised an eyebrow, a sly smile creeping on his lips.

"It's _not_."

Cartman came from behind and slapped his hands down on Kenny's shoulders, making him jump. "What up, Ken?"

"Jesus Christ, Cartman, you nearly scared the fuck out of me." Kenny glowered.

"Kenny's got a new girlfriend." Kyle cued Cartman in on the recent events.

Cartman raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Not my girlfriend." Kenny muttered, slightly irritated.

"Well, you got her number." Stan pointed out.

"That doesn't mean shit, dumbass." Kenny snapped.

There was a short silence before Kenny spoke again. "I think she's hiding something, though."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, back with another chapter. Hope you all like this fan fiction so far, it's fun to write about Kenny as the star for a change since he was barely in my other fictions. I hope to break the writers block for "I Won't Forget" by writing this, but I hope you guys don't mind. Thanks for the reviews and please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks again!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 2.<strong>

Karen stood admiring a doll on a shelf in Kenny's apartment. "What's this, Ken?" she was about to pick it up, but he stopped her.

"No! U-uhh… sorry… it's really special to me. It was my sister's. The only thing I got after she died." Kenny dusted off the doll and sat it back down in its place. It slumped to one side. The doll was among sports memorabilia and a few other knickknacks; a Colorado Rockies signed baseball, a John Elway signed photograph, along with a photo of his sister Karen and him next to the doll.

"O-oh… I see." Karen frowned. "It's sad that's the only thing you got."

"That was the only thing that she cherished most. She always said that I could have it if anything happened to her." Kenny explained.

There was a long, drawn out silence.

"A-anyways…" Kenny started again. "Uh…" he had nothing to say.

"Ken?" Karen said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind… uhm… showing me around town? I didn't tell you, I moved from Denver and I'm not so familiar with this town yet."

"Yeah, I don't mind at all. I haven't been out in a while; I took a break from my job after… you know…"

"I understand." Karen put a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "A nice walk would do both of us good."

* * *

><p>"And that's the elementary school I attended." Kenny pointed to the school as they walked past it. "The middle and high school are in Fairplay, so I can't show you that."<p>

"That's alright, Ken. This was fun. Thanks for showing me around." Karen smiled as she looked up at Kenny.

"No problem." Kenny returned the gesture. "Uhh, you hungry at all? There's a nice café down the road."

"That sounds lovely."

The two made their way down the road to the café, stopping short as Stan and Kyle strolled up to them. "Hey, Kenny." Kyle waved to his friend and Kenny nodded.

"Hey guys." Kenny replied.

"It's good to see you out and about. And with your new girlfriend, too." Stan snickered.

"Fuck off, dude." Kenny shoved Stan in the side. Stan stumbled slightly.

"Just joking. Hi, I'm Stan, and this is Kyle." Stan introduced himself to Karen, and Kyle nodded along.

"Nice to meet you, finally. I don't think we were properly introduced the other day." Karen smiled, and Kenny thought he saw her blush slightly.

"What, are you two on a date, too?" Kenny joked to Stan, motioning to Kyle.

"Date?" Kyle scowled. "With this loser, here?" Kyle pointed to Stan with his thumb. Stan glared playfully.

"Joking." Kenny laughed.

"Haven't seen that laugh in two weeks. Karen must be cheering you up." Kyle grinned.

"She's pretty cool." Kenny felt his face heat up.

"I hope I'm making him feel comfortable. He showed me around town, so I owe him one." Karen smiled.

"Well, see you guys around." And with a wave goodbye, Stan and Kyle disappeared down the sidewalk.

* * *

><p>The two sat on the patio area of the café, enjoying the nice weather for a change. It had snowed a few days ago, the sun finally making itself useful and melting it off a little. Kenny took a sip of his coffee, Karen taking a bite out of her sandwich in turn. "Well, this is nice." Kenny commented.<p>

"Very." Karen replied, her mouth full. "Oh, shoot… I've got to get groceries tonight."

"Do you need me to help you with that?" Kenny asked.

"No, you've done too much for me already." Karen replied with a smile, whipping her mouth with a napkin. "Trust me, I can do it."

"Alright." Kenny's voice was laced with worry.

"I can take care of myself, Kenny. I'll be fine." Karen assured him. "I know my way around town now, thanks to you."

* * *

><p>"I shouldn't have waited until nine at night to get these damn groceries…" mumbled Karen as she walked home from the market. "I should have driven… damn it's cold out tonight." She shivered. "Maybe I should have let Ken help me with these…"<p>

* * *

><p>Kenny jolted awake, allowing his breathing to steady. His heart was racing. Something was wrong. "Karen…" Kenny rubbed his forehead, sitting up in bed, the sheets shuffling around him in the dark. He shuffled out of bed, turning on the light. Slipping on a shirt, Kenny looked out the window just in time to see Karen walking through an alley. "What the fuck is she doing out this late…" Kenny mumbled to himself. He noticed the bags in her hands and sighed. "She needs someone with her this late at night. Jesus."<p>

Kenny noticed a shady figure turn around the corner after Karen. It looked like he was armed with a knife. Kenny's eyes widened. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

><p>Karen turned into a dark alleyway, the way to get back to the apartment building was just around the corner and she'd rather go down a shady alley than have to go around all of the buildings surrounding it. Bad decision.<p>

"Hand over the wallet and you don't get hurt." A dark voice said from behind her. Karen swallowed. She spun around slowly.

"P-please… I don't have much money, I just bought these, and-"

"Shut up, bitch." The perpetrator snapped. He held a knife in his hand, lunging at the poor girl and knocking her into the wall behind her. "I said, hand it over." He held the sharp knife against her neck. Karen felt her neck sting and something drip down, and she winced.

"Let her go." A gruff voice sounded from above. Karen looked up; a silhouette showed itself in front of the full moon. The figure dropped down from the building with grace and ease. Mysterion's cape flowed behind him, making a ruffling sound as he dropped to the ground.

"Who the fuck are you?" growled the perpetrator.

"A guardian angel, watching over the streets at night."

"That's fucking stupid."

"Stupider than kicking your ass?" _God that sounded stupid. _Kenny mentally scolded himself.

Mysterion lunged at the perpetrator, knocking him down. He pulled his own knife on him, holding it against the man's throat. "Try it again." Mysterion's foot connected with the man's jaw, and a _crack _was heard. There was genuine fear in the man's eyes. "Leave now and you won't get killed."

The man trembled as Mysterion towered over him; the man slowly crawling away, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Once he had gone away, Mysterion turned to Karen.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"F-fine, thank you." Karen trembled. "W-who are you?"

"I am Mysterion."

Karen looked him up and down. Kenny had improved his costume over the years; he had gotten rid of the underwear on the outside, upgraded to spikes on the side of his arms and well as a grappling hook on his utility belt. His trademark fireworks were in a pouch on his waist. He had the same mask, same cape and attire. The question mark on his hood was still there as well.

"O-oh… t-thank you… for saving me, Mysterion."

By the time she had thanked him, he was gone. Karen made her way to her apartment, her hands trembling as she unlocked the door. "I-I better tell Ken about this." she mumbled to herself, her eyes wide with fear. "I don't want to be alone anymore at night if I need something."

Once Karen had put away her groceries, she knocked on Kenny's door. There was a shuffling from beyond the door, and the lock clicked, unlatching it. Kenny looked at Karen with half opened eyes, his hair messy and he was shirtless. He had to look like he was sleeping or Karen would know. "Yeah?" Kenny asked groggily.

"O-oh, Ken, I'm s-sorry to wake you up, but… n-nevermind." Karen's face was red as she looked him up and down.

"No, it's fine. What do you need, Karen?"

"I-I just…"

"You can come in; you don't have to stand out here."

"O-oh… okay."

The two walked into Kenny's apartment, Kenny shutting and locking the door behind the two. "What's up?"

"I-I, uhh…" Karen started. Kenny looked at her. "I ran into trouble… I was stupid and went to go get groceries this late at night… and someone… saved me."

"Oh?" Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"This… man. In a cape. Like in one of those superhero movies."

Kenny tried to contain a laugh, but failed.

"It's true, Ken!"

"You're not hurt are you?" Kenny peered at the cut on Karen's neck. Her neck was smeared with blood, making it look worse than it really was.

"It's just a scratch. No big deal." Karen answered.

"I'll get a Band-Aid." Kenny searched through his cabinets until he found a box of Band-Aids. He opened the box and pulled one out, approaching Karen. He peeled off the Band-Aid from the wrapper, placing it on her neck. "There."

"T-thanks, Ken…" Karen's face was still red.

"Now go get some sleep, alright?" Kenny motioned Karen to the door. "It's late. You can tell me more in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I'm back. I'm starting college this week so this means I won't get to write as much as I normally do, but I'll try to update as much as possible. Thanks for the reviews, you are all so kind. I broke the writers block with "I Won't Forget" so that will be updated soon as well. In the mean time, have a new chapter of this story. Please review if you liked, it helps me to continue writing the story. Thanks again!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 3<strong>

Kenny invited Karen to have breakfast at his apartment so she could explain what had happened the night before.

"And then Mysterion jumped down from the building and kicked the shit out of that man." Karen explained enthusiastically. She mimicked the moves Mysterion dished out to the perpetrator by punching the air. "He was so cool, Ken. I wish you would have seen him."

_You have no idea._ Kenny laughed to himself.

"Yeah, I'm sure he was cool, Karen."

"You still don't believe me, do you, Ken?"

Kenny laughed slightly. "I believe the other parts, just not the whole superhero thing. Maybe he was a normal guy; you just thought he had a cape on."

"It's true, Ken!"

"I believe you, then. If it makes you happy." Kenny took a bite of his waffle. Karen mirrored him.

Karen dropped the subject for now. "So, when are you planning on going back to work?"

"I start back tomorrow, actually."

"That's great, Ken!"

"I've done nothing but watch reruns of old TV shows and drink my weight in soda. I'm ready to go back."

"I'm sure you are." Karen smiled. "Where do you work, if you mind me asking?"

"I work as a mechanic down the street. That worn down shop I showed you the other day."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I like my job, pays the bills, you know?" Kenny took a sip of his coffee. "Where do you work?"

"Haven't found a job yet here. I used to work at Casa Bonita down in Denver as a waitress."

"Oh, jeez. Haven't been there since I was a kid. It was my friend Kyle's birthday at the time. That's pretty cool. What jobs have you applied for here in South Park?"

Karen nodded. "It was a fun job, got to watch the cliff divers preform a lot. Uhh, I've applied at the Elementary school, actually. As a substitute teacher for the fourth grade. And I also applied for a few shops in the mall."

"Hope you have some luck with that." Kenny replied.

"Thank you."

Kenny grabbed his empty plate and offered to take Karen's as well. He took them to the sink and proceeded to wash them, putting them on the rack. Kenny should have cleaned up his apartment before letting Karen come over. It was a mess; soda cans strewn all over around the couch and on top of the TV. "Sorry for the mess, by the way." Kenny apologized.

Karen waved a hand. "No big deal, Ken."

"Next time I swear it will be cleaner." Kenny felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

* * *

><p>Kenny finished tuning up a loose bolt under the hood of a truck; he had just fixed a gas leak and was finishing up. He wiped the grease off of his face, making it worse and smearing it. He got some in his messy hair in the process.<p>

"Kenny, you have someone here to see you." His manager called from inside. Kenny motioned for him to bring whoever this person was to him. His manager mouthed the word "nice" with a thumbs up as Karen walked towards him. Kenny rolled his eyes and shooed him away.

"Hey, Ken." Karen waved.

"Karen," Kenny began. "How are you?"

"I'm good." She smiled.

"You got something…" Karen moved closer. "Right here." Karen licked her thumb and rubbed it on Kenny's right cheek, cleaning off a smudge of grease.

"Oh. Thanks." Kenny felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I'm always getting dirty, obviously." Kenny looked down at his orange mechanic uniform and laughed slightly at the splotches of grease. He placed the wrench he was holding back in his utility belt. "What are you up to today?"

"I wanted to tell you that I got the job as a substitute teacher at the elementary school. I start next week." Karen beamed.

"Oh, that's great, Karen!" Kenny congratulated. "Are you excited?"

"Very much." Karen smiled.

"I would hug you, but I don't want to get grease all over you."

Karen laughed. "You can hug me later." She shuffled her feet, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"I'm out in five minutes, you wanna do something afterwards?" Kenny asked.

"I would love to."

"I need to go home and change first, but that will be quick."

Once Kenny was out of working, the pair walked to the apartment building. "I need to take a shower first, if that's fine with you. I'm pretty greasy."

"I don't mind at all." Karen answered.

The two went their separate ways, Kenny walking into his apartment and shutting his door. Karen did the same.

Karen sat on her sofa, contemplating. _I think I'm developing feelings for Kenny._ She couldn't stop thinking about him. She thought back to yesterday, when she had woken him up and he looked at her with a sleepy look on his face and she couldn't help but think of what he looked like in that moment. He was… cute. And he looked really good shirtless. Karen felt herself blushing. _No. I don't have feelings for him. _

_Yes you do._

_He just looked really cute in that moment, shut up._

_You know he's a really nice guy. He's sweet, caring…_

_Cute._

Karen shook the thought out of her mind.

A knock at the door jolted Karen out of her daydream. She shuffled to her door and unlocked it, and standing in the threshold was Kenny. "Hey, Karen." Kenny wore a plain white t-shirt and worn out blue jeans with holes in the knees. His blond hair was still a mess. Karen thought this was his cutest feature. "Ready?"

"Y-yeah."

"Where do you want to go?" Kenny asked.

At that moment, Cartman walked out of his apartment from across the way, whistling. He stopped short when he saw Kenny and Karen. "What up, Ken?" Cartman greeted.

"Hey, fatass."

Karen nudged him hard in the ribs. "That's not nice, Ken."

"Hey, you poor fuck." Cartman retorted. The anger dissolved from Cartman's eyes when he saw Karen. "So you're the girl I've heard all about."

Karen held out her hand for Cartman to shake. Cartman took her hand carefully as if he was going to break it if he gripped it too hard. "I'm Cartman."

"Pleasure. I'm Karen. What's your first name, Cartman?"

"Everyone calls me Cartman. Unless it's Butters. But my name is Eric."

"Butters?" Karen questioned.

"He's my roommate." Cartman replied.

As if on cue, Butters walked out of the apartment. "Hey, Eric, we are out of cat food- oh, hello!" Butters waved enthusiastically at Karen.

"Hello. I assume you are Butters?" Karen smiled.

"Yep!" Butters hugged her on contact.

"Sorry, he's very… clingy." Cartman rolled his eyes and unlatched Butters from Karen. Cartman moved himself to Kenny and leaned in next to his ear. "Dude, your girlfriend is hot."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Kenny snapped loudly. Karen turned around to face Kenny and Cartman. Kenny's face heated up. "Not my girlfriend…" he whispered.

* * *

><p>Kenny and Karen sat at Kenny's dining room table in his apartment. He had invited her over for dinner. "This is great, Ken." Karen complemented Kenny's cooking, which consisted of spaghetti and garlic bread.<p>

"Thanks." Kenny's face heated up from the compliment. He didn't take compliments too well. "I just threw it together last minute."

"Well, it's fantastic."

Kenny smiled.

Once the two were done eating, Kenny was about to get up and clean up, but Karen stopped him. "I'll do it." She offered.

"But you're the guest, Karen."

"The least I can do is help _you._"

Kenny didn't want to argue. He let her do the dishes and cleanup for him. "Thanks, Karen." He said guiltily.

"Don't feel guilty. I want to help you; you've done too much for me already."

Kenny managed a smile.

"It sure is cold in here." Karen shivered as she sat down on Kenny's couch, moving empty soda cans out of the way.

"Sorry… the heater's broke… and I need to clean up in here, I'm sorry, again." Kenny proceeded to pick up the empty cans and throw them in the trash. "There's a hoodie hanging in my closet, it's orange. You can go get it if you'd like." Kenny offered. "While I clean up."

Karen smiled and moved to Kenny's bedroom. It was slightly messy, the sheets in disarray on the bed, clothes in a pile in the corner of the room. A few soda cans were on the bedside table, and Karen noticed a Play Boy on his nightstand. She blushed. _Oh goodness. _She ignored it and moved to the closet. She shuffled through the clothes hanging up until she found something orange.

"Find it?" Kenny made Karen jump.

"U-uhh, yep!" she held the orange hoodie up and took it off the hanger. She slipped it on; it was two times bigger than her. It smelled of grease and cheap cologne. The two moved out of the room. "Thanks, Ken."

_She looks really cute in it. _Kenny's conscious echoed. Kenny shook off the feeling. "Welcome." Kenny replied with a smile. Kenny took the couch and Karen moved to the recliner that was next to it. "What are you doing? Come sit by me." Kenny patted the spot next to him. Karen moved shyly to him.

Kenny switched on the TV and began browsing the channels. As Kenny was doing so, Karen looked at Kenny who was hell-bent on finding the right show to watch. He was concentrated. _He looks cute when he's determined. _Karen thought. She bit her tongue. _Shut up. _Kenny ran a hand through his messy blond hair. "Nothing really on." Kenny switched to the news. It was nothing but depressing news stories. He switched it off.

"Hmmm…" Kenny hummed. He turned to Karen. "What do you want to do?"

"You owe me a hug, Ken." Karen reminded him.

"Oh, you're right. I do." Kenny reached over and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her squeeze around his waist. He noticed how much smaller she was compared to him. He felt if he held her any tighter she would break. Karen leaned her head into Kenny's chest.

Karen pulled away after a few minutes. "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Karen asked, her voice laced with embarrassment.

"Not at all. You deserve it for all the hard work you've done. And I'm happy you found a job this early, since you just moved here. I'm proud of you, Karen." Kenny smiled down at her.

"K-Ken…?" Karen started.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." Karen finished after a long drawn out silence.

_Kiss her. _Kenny's conscious echoed. _Maybe that's what she wants. _

Kenny leaned closer to Karen. "U-uh…" he started, looking down. "Are you warm yet?" Kenny asked, referring to the orange hoodie he had lent her. Karen nodded, smiling. Her hands were hidden within the sleeves.

"It's a warm jacket." She whispered. Kenny leaned in even closer now. He was still looking down and away from her eyes, hoping he wasn't making her uncomfortable. But what he was looking at now was her chest, so he decided to look up when Karen frowned, noticing he was looking somewhere other than her eyes.

"S-sorry, I uh…" Kenny stammered, nervous. He never got nervous around girls. He was always straightforward. But with Karen, it was different. Very different.

There was a knock at the door, breaking the awkwardness. Kenny was snapped out of his concentrated trance.

"S-sorry, I'll get that." Kenny hopped up from the couch and moved to the door, unlocking it.

"Hey, dude." It was Stan and Kyle. Kenny sighed, slightly exasperated.

"What?" Kenny tried to contain a growl.

Stan peeked around the corner at Karen. "Ohhh… oh." Stan nudged Kenny in the side, hard. Kenny shoved him.

"It's nothing, Jesus fuck. We were just having dinner." Kenny hissed quietly. Stan raised an eyebrow.

"I-I'll just leave, Ken." Karen said from behind Kenny, and he jumped slightly. "It's getting late, and I'm tired." She handed him the hoodie he lent her. "Thanks… for everything. I'll see you tomorrow."

Karen made her way next door, turning the lock on her knob and going inside, closing the door behind her.

"You were about to score, weren't you." Stan nudged Kenny again when Karen was completely out of sight.

"Fuck off, dude. She's just my friend. Just a friend, alright?" Kenny snapped. He couldn't take any more of Stan, Kyle, and Cartman's accusations. He let out a frustrated sigh and returned back to his apartment, slamming the door, making it rattle.

Stan and Kyle jumped. "Jesus, what's up with him…" mumbled Kyle.

Stan shrugged. "Maybe we should lay off of him for a while. We need to stop giving him such a hard time. I know we joke a lot, but he seems to be really bothered by this." he looked down regretfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm back. Not much to say, but thank you for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks again!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 4<strong>

Kenny was still slightly irritated at Kyle and Stan, along with Cartman. He scowled as he swept the dining room area clean, promising Karen that he would have his apartment spotless the next time she came over. Once he was done with that, he smoothed out the sheets on his bed, throwing on the pillows once the job was done. "There." He sighed, looking around the apartment. Everything was dirt and dust free.

There was a knock at the door. That must be Karen. Kenny shuffled to the door, unlatching the lock and peeking outside. It was Stan and Kyle. The door swung open, and the pair were looking down. Kenny glared daggers. "What? Come to bother me some more?"

"N-no, Kenny. We're sorry we've been bothering you lately." Kyle stammered, looking at Stan for him to continue.

"Yea, sorry, Kenny." Stan shuffled his feet, looking down. "We've been total dicks lately."

The look of anger dissolved from Kenny's face and he frowned. "It's fine. Thanks for apologizing."

"Anyway, Kenny, you wanna go down to Stark's Pond?" Stan asked hopefully.

"Sorry, guys, I'm going to go visit my sister." Kenny replied. "I have to go get ready."

"O-oh… alright. Maybe later." Kyle smiled slightly.

"Yeah." And with that, Stan and Kyle walked down the stairs.

Kenny put on his best suit and tie, grabbing the flowers that were in a vase on the dining room table. He allowed the excess water to drip off into the vase before holding them close to his chest. He took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the hall. Karen was there to greet him. It looked as if she was about to knock on the door. She frowned. "Hey, Ken. Where are you goin', dressing all fancy like that?"

"To visit my sister." Kenny felt a lump in his throat. Karen's features softened.

"O-oh… I see." Karen's voice was barely a whisper.

"You can come with me if you want to." Kenny offered.

"O-oh… I wouldn't want to bother your time with her." Karen shuffled her feet and looked down.

"No, it's fine. I would like some company."

"Really?" Karen looked up. Kenny nodded.

"Let me just… get into something more appropriate."

Once Karen had changed into a black sweater with a long black skirt and high heels, the two headed off. "I'm going to drive. It's too far to walk." Kenny explained. Karen nodded. Kenny fished out his keys and unlocked the door to a silver Honda Civic. He pushed trash off the passenger seat and opened the door for Karen, motioning her inside. A chill wind picked up and Karen shivered. "I'll turn on the heat. At least the heater in my car isn't broken." Kenny laughed slightly. Karen smiled.

"Thank you, Ken." Karen smoothed out her skirt once she was sitting in the seat. Kenny closed the door and hopped into the driver's seat. He started the engine, it stalling for a moment before it turned on. The two were on their way.

* * *

><p>"Here it is. South Park Cemetery." Kenny pulled up into a parking space and killed the engine. Karen began to open her door, but Kenny stopped her. "I'll do it for you." Kenny hopped out of the car, shutting his door in the process. He asked Karen to hand him the flowers as he opened the door for her, lightly grabbing her arm to help her out.<p>

The pair walked between the headstones, passing several on their way to Karen McCormick's. Karen stopped short with a look of horror on her face as she stared at the headstone next to Karen's. "K-Kenny?"

"Yeah?"

"I-it says your name on the headstone next to your sister's…"

"Oh, that's uh… hmm… interesting."

"You're not the least bit of shocked about this?!"

Kenny shrugged. "Coincidence?"

"'Coincidence'?! Most headstones are placed side by side because they are related!"

There was a death date on Kenny's headstone. September 5th, 2013.

"T-that's… weird…" Karen still had a look of horror on her face. "That's when…" she stopped short, covering her mouth.

"When what?" Kenny asked casually.

"That man… in my apartment… got shot and killed. Same day, same year…"

"What?"

"Kenny…?"

There was a silence before Karen spoke again.

"What is this?"

"What's what?"

"What's going on?"

Kenny cocked his head to one side. "I don't know what you are talking about, Karen."

"Nevermind." Karen sighed, slightly exasperated. "You're right… it is a coincidence."

Kenny leaned down and put the flowers on Karen's headstone, getting down on one knee. He leaned his forehead on top of the headstone, trying not to let the tears come. "K-Karen… I miss you, a lot." Kenny sniffed, holding back tears. He couldn't hold it any more. Kenny's body shook; muffled sobs were heard as he covered his mouth, trying to fight it._ This is embarrassing. Stop crying, you're making yourself look stupid… _"I'm sorry I couldn't h-help… you get better… I blame myself a lot, you know… I'm sure you see it from where you are…" the tears kept coming. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you as much as I wanted to be… I should have taken you out of there, away from t-them… but they can't hurt you anymore, Karen… you didn't deserve to be in that much pain… you didn't deserve it at all!" Kenny brought his fist down on the headstone, wincing as his fist connected with the marble. "F-fuck…"

"K-Ken…" Karen leaned down to Kenny's level, touching her fingers lightly on his shoulder. Kenny's body still shook with sobs.

"I look really stupid c-crying like this… I'm sorry…" Kenny sniffed, his hair in his face. He wouldn't take his eyes off of the headstone, still turned away from Karen.

"N-no… it's okay." Karen soothed. "It's natural."

"Well, now you've seen my sensitive side…" Kenny's laugh was broken. "Let's uhh… get out of here. I don't think I can be here any longer." Kenny got up slowly, catching his balance by grabbing on to the top of the headstone. He stumbled slightly, drying his eyes with the sleeve of his suit. Karen nodded sympathetically.

Once the two had gotten back in the car, snow was starting to drift from the bleak sky. It dusted the car's windshield, and Kenny brushed it off with the windshield wipers. "Ready?" Kenny asked, turning to Karen.

"Ready." Karen nodded. Her face was soft and understanding.

"I'm sorry, again…" Kenny said as he started the engine.

"Why?"

"I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Kenny, it's okay. Really. When a man is sensitive, it means he actually has a heart… no that sounded stupid…" Karen mentally slapped herself. "Sorry."

"At least you think I have a heart." Kenny joked. "That's good to know."

Karen smiled slightly. "Feel any better?"

"Y-yeah… a lot better. I'm glad you were with me. Thank you. Thank you so much." Kenny felt a lump in his throat. "You don't know how much that means to me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, back with another. hope you like this one. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story, thank you all for the reviews. You are all awesome! sorry it's a little short, but the next chapter is longer. Until next time,**

**-whereistheark**

* * *

><p>Kenny would never consider drinking. But sometimes he needed something to numb the pain. He sat alone in his apartment, trying to keep his mind off of the thought of drinking. He gulped down another Coke, flipping through the channels of his old TV. He needed something to keep him distracted. After today, visiting his sister's grave, he was feeling… terrible. He wanted to be left alone in solitude for the rest of the day, not answering his phone and ignoring Kyle and Stan's knocking on the door. Cartman came over earlier asking if he wanted to go out bowling with him and Butters. He declined the offer. Karen had even left him alone. Kenny sighed to himself.<p>

There was no trace of any kind of alcohol in Kenny's apartment. He hadn't drank since last year, when he turned twenty-one and Stan and Kyle egged him on to take a few shots of vodka; he got annoyed when they had chanted over and over, "Drink, drink, drink!" until he finally gave in and did it. That was the last time he had ever laid eyes on any kind of alcohol. He vowed to never drink again. He didn't want to end up like his father; a deadbeat drunk. But the itch was strong now. Maybe if he drank just a little, it would make him feel at least a _little _better than he was feeling in the moment. Not quite enough to get drunk, but he wouldn't make any promises.

Kenny shuffled to his room, pulling on a shirt and changing out of his old basketball shorts. He grabbed his car keys by the door on the key rack and opened the door, but was greeted by Karen who was standing in front of her apartment door, unlocking it.

"Hey, Ken," she started hesitantly. "How are you?"

Kenny faked a smile. "Fine."

"You don't look fine." Karen frowned. She looked him up and down. He was slightly pale, dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted.

"I'm fine." Kenny repeated.

"Where are you going?" Karen asked after an awkward silence.

"To the store."

"Oh."

"See you later." Kenny waved, disappearing down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Kenny returned from the store, Karen must have returned to her apartment. It was 7:32 PM now. Kenny sat the bags on the dining room table and fished out the items from them. He stared at the case of beer on the table; a lump in his throat. <em>Should I go through with it? Maybe just a little. I can give the rest to Kyle and Stan. They will give me a hard time about drinking, I just know it. <em>Before he knew it, he was opening a can. He took a small sip, the taste bitter on his tongue. He had to get used to it. _I'd rather drink Coke. _Kenny grimaced. But he knew that it wouldn't have the same effect. He hesitated before taking another long sip. Before he knew it, he had drank the whole thing and was opening another one. And two more. Kenny stumbled to the couch, plopping down on it. He was right. It did make him feel better, but still terrible at the same time. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. Especially Karen. Kenny felt the room spinning. He felt like he was going to be sick. A knock at the door startled him.

"Ken?" it was Karen.

_Why does she have to come now…?_ Kenny groaned inwardly.

"J-just a second," Kenny's words were slurred. "Coming." He stumbled to the door, fumbling with the door knob. He finally got it open, peeking out at Karen. "Yeah?"

"Ken, are you alright?" Karen held a tray of cupcakes in her hand. "I thought I'd bring these over since you looked a little down earlier…"

"Just a little, uhh…" Kenny's words were slightly incoherent. "Feeling…" he trailed off.

"A-are you… drunk?" Karen peered at him.

Kenny shrugged. "A little."

"I thought you didn't drink." Karen's voice was laced with worry.

"I don't."

"W-why are you doing it now?"

"I just feel terrible, alright?" Kenny snapped. "Get off my back."

"S-sorry…"

Kenny sighed heavily. "No, no… I'm sorry." He rubbed his forehead. "Just… let me get sober. See you in the morning." Kenny shut the door slowly. Karen turned around, a frown on her face.

_I'll give him these tomorrow. _She looked down at the tray of cupcakes in her hand. She liked to bake on her free time, giving them out to people who felt down or for birthdays or as gifts. It always made her feel better when she baked. Karen returned to her apartment, shutting the door. Worry flooded her mind. All she could think about was how terrible Kenny looked. She was concerned for him. Very concerned. She wanted to knock on Kenny's door again, but he was right. He needed to get sober first. He wasn't in the right mindset to be around anyone.

Kenny sat at his couch, his body shaking with sobs. "Why did I do this to myself…" Kenny mumbled. "It just made me feel worse…" After a few minutes, Kenny passed out on the couch.

* * *

><p>Light filtered through the curtains. Kenny blinked slowly, sitting up, a pounding headache. Kenny groaned. "Fuck…" he peered at the clock on the wall; the time read 8:23 AM. At least he didn't have work today. He would have been in huge trouble. His manager wouldn't be happy if he missed work after just coming back from a long hiatus. Kenny shuffled to the door, unlocking it. He opened his door, nearly kicking something on the doorstep. It was a box with the name "Ken" on it. He picked it up, opening it. There was a note inside. <em>"Hope you like them – Karen."<em>

There were a few cupcakes inside. Kenny rubbed his forehead. He had to go apologize to her.

He stalled in front of her door, hesitating. He knocked on it softly. "Karen?" he called. There was shuffling on the other side of the door and it opened slowly. Karen stood in the threshold, faking a smile.

"Hey," Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for, uh, the cupcakes."

"You're welcome, Ken."

There was a long, drawn out silence before Karen spoke again. "Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you something."


	6. Chapter 6

**hey guys, back with another. Hope you like this one. thanks for all the reviews, and if you liked, please review, it helps me continue on with the story. Thanks again!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 6<strong>

Kenny's heart thudded painfully in his chest. "What is it you need to ask me, Karen?"

"Come into my apartment." Karen motioned Kenny inside, closing the door behind them. She sat at the dining room table and Kenny followed, sitting across from her. "If you…" she began. Kenny waited for her to continue. "Do you want to…"

Kenny willed her to continue. "You can ask me anything, Karen."

"Mysterion." She said plainly.

"Do I want to Mysterion?" Kenny looked at her, slightly confused.

Karen shook her head. "What I meant to say was… I wish I could thank Mysterion for saving me."

Kenny blinked. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?" he felt slightly disappointed.

"S-sorry…"

There was a silence.

"I wanted to ask about something else, too… the strange coincidence at the graveyard… with your headstone next to Karen's…" _That's what you really want to ask about. Admit it. _

"Yeah? What about it?"

"And the date and year on it was the same dates that the man in my apartment was shot… it's strange, it was a cold case and after that, he just… disappeared. It's an empty casket, they said. Isn't that a little odd to you?"

"That sounds a little farfetched. You don't believe that, do you?" Kenny laughed a little. "Sounds supernatural, to spook people out."

"But I want to get to the bottom of this."

"And how will you do that?" Kenny asked, resting a hand on his chin.

"Come with me to the library."

* * *

><p>Kenny drove the two to the local library; it was too cold to walk. Karen had bundled up in a heavy black sweater and Kenny had lent her his orange hoodie again. She seemed to like it a lot. He was considering giving it to her. The two hopped out of the car, approaching the small library.<p>

"Why did you want to come here, again?" Kenny asked.

"To look at the news reports from last year." Karen explained.

"Oh."

The pair walked to the back of the library until they found the section where all the newspapers were stored. It went all the way back to the '40's. Karen looked at the recent news until she found 2013. She shuffled through the newspapers until she found the obituaries in the month of September. She grabbed a newspaper with an 'ah hah' and opened it up to the obituary section. "Here it is. 'Man shot in apartment, cold case'."

Kenny's heart leapt when he saw his picture on the front page.

"K-Ken?" Karen started. "That's you…"

"What?" Kenny asked, grabbing the paper from her. "No it's not."

"Yes, it is!" Karen's eyes were wide. "That's you!"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Ken, what aren't you telling me? Do you have a twin brother with the same name or something?"

"N-no…"

"Then what?" Karen looked up at him, fear evident in her eyes.

"I'll tell you… away from here."

* * *

><p>Kenny fumbled with his keys to stall time. He unlocked the door to his apartment, motioning Karen inside. He sat down on the couch and sighed, patting the spot next to him. "I have something to tell you. You may not believe me, but I need to tell you."<p>

Karen sat next to him, inches away, a gap between the two. "What is it? You are scaring me, Ken."

"I…"

Karen nodded.

"I can't…"

Karen was growing impatient.

"I can't die."

Karen stared blankly at him for a few moments before speaking. "Don't fuck with me, Ken." She glared.

"I'm not fucking with you."

"Ohh, it's _so_ obvious now," Karen rolled her eyes, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So fucking obvious. Why don't you just tell the truth? What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything. You wanted the truth; I'm giving it to you." Kenny held up his hand.

"This is no joke, Kenny."

"No, it's not. I'm telling the truth, Karen."

"That's a stupid way to lie to me."

"If you don't believe me, then I'll have to show you."

"W-what?"

_Don't do this._

_She won't remember anyways. It's no use showing her. _

_What if she _does_ remember me dying?_

_That would be a first._

"What do you mean, Ken? Ken?!" Karen's voice broke into his thoughts. Kenny swallowed, shaking the thought out of his mind.

"Nothing."

"Don't say things like that!" Karen said, tears evident in her eyes. "I may have only met you a few days ago, but I still care about you!"

Kenny looked down. "Sorry." He whispered.

* * *

><p>Kenny had left Karen's apartment to return to his own. She was angry with him; and he very well knew it. She had told him to leave until he could tell the truth. Kenny swore up and down he wasn't lying, but of course the idea of not being able to die was outlandish. If only he could show her. But she wouldn't remember. No one ever did. Kenny sighed, slightly frustrated. He ran a hand through his messy hair and tousled it. A knock at the door startled Kenny out of his thoughts. He got up with a sigh and unlocked the door, peeking out. "Yeah?" a woman Kenny had never met was standing in front of the door. She was tall and slender, with pin straight blonde hair and too much makeup. She was too close for Kenny's comfort.<p>

"O-oh… you aren't Mark…" she frowned, looking slightly embarrassed. "Do you know where I can find Mark Black?"

"Who?"

"You obviously don't know him. I'm new to this apartment building." The woman looked Kenny up and down, surveying him closely. "My name is Lucy."

"Uh, Kenny." He took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you." There was a hint of confusion in Kenny's voice. "Sorry, I don't know any Marks in this building. I really don't care to meet many people. My friends live here and a girl named Karen lives next door but that's all the people I know-" Lucy cut him off.

"Karen?" her eyes widened slightly. "Last name?"

"Uh, she never mentioned her last name. I only met her a few days ago."

"Hmmm… what does she look like?"

"Long, black curly hair, kinda short, green eyes…" Kenny counted the features on his fingers.

"Yes! That's her!"

Kenny cocked his head to one side.

"Karen Bruhn! She's another person I've been looking for besides Mark. She's an old high school friend of mine."

"That's nice. She lives right next door, to the left. Apartment 237."

"Thank you, honey." Lucy smiled, winking.

"Uhh, you're welcome." Kenny nodded and Lucy proceeded to knock on Karen's door. Kenny heard the conversation.

"I told you, Ken, if you aren't going to tell the truth, don't come back- oh?" Karen looked at Lucy who was standing in the threshold, looking a little confused. "Oh… you aren't Ken. What do you want?"

"It's me, Lucy. Don't you remember? We were friends in high school."

Karen put a hand on her hip. "Hardly. What do you want?" Karen sounded a little agitated, repeating herself.

"I was just… oh, never mind." Lucy turned around. "I'll just go."

"No, wait. I'm sorry I was a little snappy." Karen looked down, ashamed. "I'm just a little irritated about something."

"Oh… that's alright." Lucy managed a smile. "Well, I gotta get going, I need to find Mark."

"Y-you can come back later if you want." Karen smiled, guilt evident on her face. "Again, sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve it. We can have a little chat if you want, when you have time. We can catch up."

"That'd be great." Lucy returned the gesture. "Well, see you later." And with that, she disappeared up the stairs.

Kenny was about to return to his apartment, but Karen stopped him. "Ken…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I… was a little rude. I just, when you say things like that, I don't know how to react."

_I can understand that._

"Please come in to my apartment. I have something for you."

Kenny approached Karen, wondering what this _something _was. The two entered the apartment, shutting the door behind the two. Karen grabbed something off of the dining room table. It was an orange bracelet. "I-I made this for you." She handed it to him. Kenny turned it over in his hand, smiling. He slipped it on, it fit just perfectly.

"Thank you, Karen. I love it."

"I made it to apologize. I know it's not much, but I think it's the thought that counts." Karen smiled. "I really am sorry. I hate holding grudges."

"It's ok. It really is. I wasn't mad to begin with." Kenny explained. "I should have never told you something like that. No one remembers. No one cares."

Karen frowned. "I still don't understand, and maybe I never will. But it doesn't mean that I don't believe you…" there was a look of uncertainty on her face.

"It's ok if you don't believe me. I can understand why." Kenny whispered.

"It will take a while to sink in."

"I wish I could explain it to you better."

* * *

><p>Kenny lay awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep. He was thinking of the night before, when he was drunk. Guilt washed over him. He would never put himself in that position again. But he was in so much pain that day. It seemed like the only way to dull it. Kenny narrowed his eyes. Maybe there was another way to take the stress off of his shoulders. Maybe he could go to counseling or something.<p>

_Nah. I'll be fine. I'm too embarrassed to go talk to someone for an hour and a half about my problems. But I also don't want to put it all on Karen._ Kenny sighed inwardly. He sat up, rubbing his forehead, the sheets shuffling around him. He felt the tears coming. _Stop crying. You're being stupid. _

_Shut up. I'm allowed to cry. I miss my sister. I didn't get to visit her much before she committed suicide. It's all my fault._

The words echoed in his mind.

_All my fault._

Kenny shook with guilt.

"_You can call me anytime you need me, Ken. I'm always available." _Karen's voice echoed in his mind. Kenny rubbed the bracelet on his wrist and sighed.

_I don't want to bother her._

_She said you can call her any time you needed her._

_It's one in the morning._

_So?_

Without thinking, Kenny grabbed his phone off of the bedside table. The bright light made Kenny squint as he typed in Karen's number. The dial tone began.

"**Hello?" **Karen answered groggily.

"K-Karen?"

"**Ken?"**

"I-I, uh…"

"**Are you alright?"**

Kenny felt a lump in his throat. He didn't want to lie. "N-no."

"**Do you need me to come over?" **Kenny heard Karen sit up in bed.

"Please? I'm sorry for bothering you this late…"

"**I told you I am available any time you need me, Ken. You aren't bothering me." **Karen yawned.

There was a knock at the door. Kenny slipped on a shirt and made his way to the door, unlatching the lock and opening it. Karen stood in the threshold in a light blue nightgown. Her hair was hastily put in a side ponytail. "Sorry, I look terrible but I wanted to come over as soon as possible."

Kenny looked down at himself. "Look at _me_. It's fine." Kenny laughed half-heartedly. He motioned Karen inside and the two sat down at Kenny's rickety dining room table.

"What's up, Ken?" Karen looked up at him, her eyes squinting when Kenny flipped on the table lamp. He fooled around with the lampshade, tilting it to the side until it was straightened out. The two sat in silence. "Ken?" it was five minutes before Karen spoke again. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"I-I, uh…" Kenny stammered, unsure of how to talk about what was bothering him. Kenny had his hands down on the tabletop and Karen carefully grabbed one of them.

"Ken, you can tell me anything." Karen whispered.

"I just… fell really guilty about, you know… drinking the other night. And when I snapped at you. I didn't mean it. I never drink, honestly. The only time I ever drank is when Stan and Kyle spurred me on to take shots of vodka when I turned twenty-one. I hate it. I absolutely _hate _it. But now I can't take it back. What's done is done." Kenny spoke rapidly, his hands trembling. His voice was rising now, out of anger for himself. "What's done is _fucking_ done." Kenny repeated loudly.

Karen swallowed, pulling her hand away from Kenny's.

"I miss her, Karen. I miss my sister. It's all my fault!" Kenny brought a fist down on the table, making it rattle. It made a slight dent in the cheap wood, splintering it. "It's my fault I never got her out of that mess! She called me several times… I couldn't take her with me. I had no money. They couldn't pay for her medication anymore. I'm lucky I came here to live, scraped up enough money. She had bruises every time I came to visit… I miss her so much…" Kenny broke down, his body shaking, burying his face in his arms, resting his forehead on the tabletop. He balled his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white.

"K-Ken…"

There was a long, drawn out silence.

Kenny swallowed his sobs and gasped for air, sitting up, his hair in his face. Karen could feel her heart aching for him. She got up and walked to Kenny, wrapping her arms around him carefully. She leaned his head into her chest. "It's ok, Ken." Karen whispered. Kenny mumbled something incoherent as he wrapped his arms around her. He gripped the back of her nightgown, his body shaking. "It's ok." Karen repeated.

Kenny's body settled and he sighed. He pulled away from Karen's grasp, sighing again. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know why I called you so late just for you to sit here and listen to me cry."

Karen frowned. "Don't you dare feel guilty about calling me and asking me to come over. There is no need to feel bad, Kenny." Karen whispered. "It's ok. I'm here to get you through this."

"I can't stop thinking about drinking again…" Kenny whispered almost unwillingly, closing his eyes. "I just want a little. But I know if I try just a little, I'll go overboard like I did last night… god, I just…" Kenny felt frustrated. "It really did help, Karen. But it didn't at the same time. What else can I do to just… dull it? A little?"

Karen stood up, grabbing Kenny's arm in the process, willing him to stand up with her. "Come on."

"W-what?"

"Let's go talk to your friends."

"T-they don't need to know about this." Kenny replied firmly.

"They need to know what's going on. I know you don't show it at all, Ken, but your friends need to know." Karen tried to drag Kenny to the door, but he had his feet firmly planted on the ground.

"No, Karen."

"Ken, please! I'm worried about you!" Karen's voice wavered. "I'm just one person! I can't help you if you don't help yourself!" her grip softened on Kenny's arm. "If you won't, then I will." Karen let go of Kenny's arm and opened the door, stepping out into the hall. She contemplated until she remembered which door she saw Stan and Kyle come out of, and proceeded to knock on it.

"What are you doing? Stop, Karen! I said no!" Kenny growled through gritted teeth. There was a short click and the door to Stan and Kyle's apartment opened.

"Hmm?" Stan stood groggily in the threshold, his hair a mess, wearing a white t-shirt that seemed to be thrown on before he opened the door, and a pair of old gray basketball shorts. "Yeah?"

"Stan, is it? I have some concerns with Kenny." Karen explained.

Stan's shoulders relaxed. "What kind of concerns?"

"Stan, come back to bed, it's two in the morning-" Kyle walked groggily behind Stan, wrapping his arms around him in a dazed state. "Huuh… what does she want." Kyle unlatched himself from Stan, rubbing the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

Karen looked down, a blush creeping on her cheeks. "S-sorry I interrupted you sleeping, but this is important."

Kenny walked up behind Karen. "_Not_ important." He growled shortly.

"Kenny?" Stan cocked his head to one side. "What's wrong?"

Karen spoke for Kenny. "He's been hiding things. He likes to think that it's ok to not tell me or any of his friends what's going on with him."

"Oh…" Stan frowned. "Is that true, Kenny?"

Kenny growled.

"He… got… drunk last night." Karen continued.

"Shut up!" Kenny snapped. "They don't need to know that!"

Karen had a look of hurt on her face but she continued on with confidence. "We need to find him other ways to cope."

"And why did you wake us up at two in the morning to-" Kyle started but Stan elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut up, dude…" Stan mumbled to his friend. "Kenny got drunk?"

With every mention of the word, Kenny's face heated up in embarrassment and anger. "It's fine, alright?! I got drunk, big deal! You're only harping on me because I never drink. Getting drunk isn't a bad thing! Stan gets drunk all the time!" Kenny pointed an accusatory finger at Stan, trembling slightly. "I hate you all!" Kenny returned to his apartment and slammed the door, making the three jump. There was a click, and then silence.

Kenny approached the fridge blindly and pulled out the remaining alcohol he had. "Fucking assholes…" Kenny mumbled loudly. "I can do what I want to. I'm of age. It shouldn't matter." Kenny chugged down a whole can of _Coors Light _and grabbed another one. Out of anger, he downed five more, the remainder he had. In his blindness, Kenny didn't hear the constant worried knocks on the door. Butters, Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Karen where all waiting in front of Kenny's apartment door eagerly, looks of worry on their faces.

"Kenny, please! Open the door!" Butters called.

"Come on, you stupid asshole, Kenny!" Cartman shouted, and Karen shot an angry glare his way. Cartman reeled back slightly. Karen pulled him aside.

"Look, he's really hurting right now, Eric, so can you _please _be nice?" Karen hissed through gritted teeth, trying to keep her composure. Cartman gave her a hellish look and then turned away.

"Ken…" Karen walked up to the door as everyone parted and stood behind her. "Everyone cares about you. Please, can you at least let _me _in?"

"No." Kenny's speech was terribly slurred. "Go away."

"Ken…"

"I said, GO AWAY!" Kenny shouted, throwing what sounded like a can at the door.

"Ken, please!" Karen frowned, her voice slightly trembling. "There are a lot of people here who care about you! Please…"

Kenny yelled obscenities at the door and yelled something that sounded like "Leave, now!" and "Fuck off!". Kenny felt even worse now. He didn't like the way being drunk felt to him. But it was also a blissful state of mind. There was no in-between.

_What if your sister saw you like this._

_She's dead. She can't see anything._

_That's not true and you know it._

Kenny growled, frustrated. "She can't see anything, SHE'S DEAD!" Kenny retorted to his conscious, bringing his fist down on the tiled floor as he slumped down onto the ground. "F-f…" Kenny felt tears of pain come to his eyes as his fist connected with the tile. He felt the swelling begin immediately. "Just leave me alone…" Kenny groaned. "All of you leave…"

It was four in the morning before anyone left. Karen was the only one remaining; sitting in front of Kenny's door, her head leaned up against it. She had dozed off. Kenny had passed out, sprawled on the floor in front of the door. Kenny knew he would regret everything in the morning, if he remembered any of it at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I hope you like this one. Please leave a review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all of the reviews, you are all awesome.**

* * *

><p>Ch 7<p>

Kenny's phone rang inches from his ear. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he was sprawled on the floor in front of his door. Kenny fumbled for his phone, reaching for it. It seemed miles away from him. When he finally picked it up, he pushed the answer button and held it up to his ear. "Huuh…" Kenny groaned into the receiver.

"**Kenny, where are you? We're swamped! Get your ass here now! You're two hours late! You're lucky you still have a job!" **it was his manager.

"Y-yes, sir. Be down there in fifteen minutes." Kenny jolted up, pushing his hangover into full swing. "F-ff…" he hung up the phone and tried to stand, noticing his right hand was bruised and caked with dry blood. Kenny grimaced. He ignored it and stumbled to his bedroom, throwing on his mechanic jumpsuit and work boots. He couldn't remember anything that had happened last night. Kenny sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He grabbed his keys off of the key rack and opened the door. He made his way downstairs and to his car, snow lightly drifting down from the bleak sky. Kenny slipped on his mechanic gloves and started his car, the engine stalling. "Come on, fucker… start…" Kenny growled, his migraine worsening. The engine stalled for a good few minutes before starting, and Kenny drove off.

Karen watched from her window while Kenny drove away. She frowned, worry washing over her. "Ken…"

* * *

><p>Kenny walked up to the shop, prepared for a long lecture. His manager walked up to him and began to say something, but surveyed Kenny closely. "Damn, Ken, what happened to you last night?" Kenny was slightly pale with dark circles under his eyes.<p>

"Nothing."

"Looks like something." Kenny's manager said in a gruff voice. "Well, whatever. Just get to work. I won't harp on you."

Kenny stumbled up to a customer who was waiting for their car to get checked out. "Uh, hey, I'm Kenny. How can I help you today?"

"Oh, hey! You're that guy I met at the apartment! It's Lucy, remember?" the customer said.

"U-uh…" Kenny looked her up and down. Caked on makeup, fake eyelashes, drawn on eyebrows, pin straight blonde hair, fake… everything… "Yeah. I remember." Kenny took her hand and shook it carefully. Lucy grabbed on with a vigorous shake.

"What was your name again?"

"I said, Kenny." Kenny repeated.

"Oh, right. Nice to meet you, again, Kenny."

There was an awkward silence.

"Did you and Karen ever meet up last night?" Kenny asked. He slipped off his gloves for the time being.

"Oh, no. I didn't want to bother her." Lucy smiled. "Hey, what happened to your hand?"

"I don't know. Why are you asking me?" Kenny replied. Lucy was eyeing his bruised up knuckles.

"Just wondering."

"So, what's the problem with your car?" Kenny asked, clipping on his utility belt.

"The hose to my windshield wiper fluid is broken."

"Oh. Easy fix." Kenny opened the hood to her red Jeep and glanced at the broken hose. He closed it and turned to Lucy. "It'll be fifty bucks to repair. Is that fine?"

"Yeah, yeah. No problem." Lucy replied, waving a hand.

Once Kenny was finished with the project, Lucy stood watching; he flipped the hood back down and dusted off his gloves. "Done." The job was finished in five minutes.

"Thanks, sweetie." Lucy smiled. "That was quick. Wonder what other things you can do quick." She winked.

Kenny gave her a confused look. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Is it working?"

Kenny laughed loudly. "No thanks, not interested." He turned away.

"You like Karen, don't you. I see the way she looks at you, and the way you look at her." Lucy called after Kenny. Kenny stopped and turned around.

"She's just my friend."

"Then you wouldn't mind going out with me today for a cup of coffee?" Lucy had a sly smile on her face.

"I'm busy."

Lucy walked gracefully up to Kenny and grabbed his bruised hand. "Later maybe?"

Kenny winced at her touch. "Alright. Fine. After this customer, I'm on my break. Just, give me a few." Kenny just wanted to prove a point that he and Karen were just friends.

After Kenny had fixed a gas leak in a man's truck, he went back out to Lucy who was waiting for him in the waiting room. She waved cutely and stood up, approaching him. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah."

The two walked down the street and to the local "Tweek Bros. Coffee". Kenny held the door open for Lucy and followed in after her. Tweek was working the counter.

"O-oh, hey, K-Kenny…!" Tweek greeted in his normal fashion. He twitched slightly, his messy blonde hair just as Kenny remembered when they were kids.

"Hey, Tweek." Kenny nodded to his friend. "Two, uh, coffees please?"

Tweek poured the two small cups of coffee and asked if they wanted cream and sugar. The two said yes. Lucy followed Kenny to a table near the far window. Kenny breathed in the soothing scent of coffee. He closed his eyes. "Hmmm…"

Karen was walking back from teaching at the Elementary school, passing by the coffee shop. She wanted a cup after a long stressful day, so she decided to walk in. She didn't notice Kenny and Lucy until she was about to walk out. "Oh, hey, Karen." Kenny greeted before she walked to the door.

"K-Ken? What are you doing here? I thought you went to work…" she trailed off as she eyed Lucy. "Oh. Hello."

"Hi, Karen." Lucy waved with her fingers.

"Ken, can I talk to you over here for a moment?" Karen faked a smile. She pulled him aside into the corner of a deserted table.

"Yeah?" Kenny asked. "I'm on my break."

"Ken, she's bad news." Karen hissed lowly. "She is not a good person. Do you see how fake she is? She's being fake to get to you, and me."

"Why do you care? I was just having coffee with her-"

"Kenny, please!" Karen snapped quietly.

Kenny waved a hand. "It's fine. She wouldn't leave me alone until I had coffee with her. Big deal. I have to get back to work anyways." He grabbed his coffee from the table and began walking towards the door. "Talk to you later, Karen. I have… a few things I want to ask you." And with that he was off.

* * *

><p>Kenny fooled with his keys in his pocket; a shaking hand pulled them out and inserted the apartment key into the lock. He turned the knob, opening it and walking inside. Kenny swallowed at the mess of cans on the floor. A mix of Coke and beer cans littered the floor. He rubbed his forehead.<p>

Kenny grabbed a trash bag and proceeded to pick up the cans, all sixteen of them, and threw them aside. He needed to get to the bottom of what happened last night. And Karen may be the only one who knew. There was a knock at the door. "Coming." Kenny called. He opened the door with a trembling hand and in the threshold, Karen stood. She nodded.

"Ken."

"Come in." Kenny beckoned her into his apartment, closing the door gently behind her. "Karen, u-uh…"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me… what happened last night?"

Karen looked down. "You refused your friends' help. And mine."

Kenny swallowed. "A-and?"

"You got drunk, Ken."

Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda figured-"

"I'm worried about you." Karen cut him off. "You act like this isn't a big deal. I want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you."

Kenny stifled a laugh. "About _me_? There's nothing to care about, Karen. Look at me, I'm pathetic."

"Don't say that!"

Kenny shrugged, a broken smile on his face. He looked down after a few seconds. "It would have been better if you never met me in the first place." He whispered. "Then you wouldn't have been dragged into my stupid problems."

"I feel like it's my job to help you. And don't you ever say things like that." Karen replied, a hint of hurt in her voice.

"There's nothing to help, alright?" Kenny snapped. "I told you, I'm a lost cause. All I do is bring misfortune into others' lives. I'm an unlucky person. I'm _worthless_." Kenny stressed the word.

Karen balled her hands into fists. She looked like she was about to cry. "Stop it! Just stop! I want to help you! But you can't stop to see that so many people care about you and want you to get better! Stop being such a cynical asshole!" Karen's voice rose with every word. Kenny reeled back slightly. Karen took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just please…"

"Please leave." Kenny said lowly after a few seconds of staring at the ground.

"No." Karen replied firmly. "I'm afraid to leave you alone."

"Why do you care about me so much, huh?! Why the _fuck_ do you care?"

Karen reached up and slapped Kenny hard on the cheek, tears in her eyes. "Fucking hell, Kenny! If you don't want my help or anyone else's, then I'll leave and I won't speak to you again! Is that what you want?!" Karen shouted angrily.

"Get out, then, Karen." Kenny growled, rubbing his face. "Just get the fuck out."

Karen walked to the door, turning around one more time to look at Kenny. Her face was red with anger, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She was about to say something, but stopped herself. She opened the door and walked out, slamming it hard behind her.

"And don't fucking come back!" shouted Kenny after her. Kenny growled and kicked the wall, creating a hole in the drywall. He hissed in agony, the pain throbbing in his foot. "Fuck!"

Karen slid down against her door, her hands in her face. She shook with silent sobs, trying to keep her composure. "God damn it, Kenny… I wish you would just listen…"

* * *

><p>Kenny sat on his couch, downing another Coke, throwing the can across the room into a pile. He flipped through the channels of the TV, unable to find anything interesting to watch. It had been two hours since Karen had left. He was trying to keep his mind off of it, with no luck. Kenny's thoughts swam with a mix of guilt and annoyance. He rubbed the bracelet around his wrist. Kenny readjusted the icepack that was on his foot and sighed. He had broken a toe. It was hard to walk, but there was nothing he could do about it.<p>

_I deserved it. _

Kenny rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. He wanted to call off work tomorrow but he knew he couldn't afford to do that. Money was money.

* * *

><p>Kenny woke up to a voicemail on his phone. He pushed the listen button, holding it up to his ear.<p>

"_Kenny, this is the second time I've had to call you. You're fired. I've sent your things to your apartment and they should be at your doorstep this afternoon. I'm sorry, bud, but I can't have an unreliable worker."_

It was Kenny's manager. Kenny's heart dropped. He swallowed, trembling.

_I have no job._

_Karen is mad at me._

_My friends are probably deserting me. _

_What am I going to do?_

Kenny held his face in his hands. It felt like the world was crumbling around him. It felt as if it was all over.

_Done._

_And it's all my fault._


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I'm back. Hope you all like this chapter. And if you liked it, please leave a review, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 8<strong>

Karen's mind was running. She didn't hear the fourth grade girl call her name as she approached Karen's desk.

"Miss Karen, can we go now?" the young girl asked, her head cocked to one side. The bell had rung five minutes ago.

"O-oh, yes. You may all go." She faked a smile and waved them off as the students left the classroom. She sighed as the last student left and closed the door behind him. Karen got up, walking to the door after a few minutes, brushing off her long black skirt and opening the door, walking out into the hall. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor, reverberating down the empty halls. She exited the school, walking out into the chilly Colorado afternoon.

* * *

><p>Kenny downed another Coke, throwing it against the wall into the growing pile. He didn't even want to bother cleaning up. It had been one day since he lost his job. And one day since he had spoken to Karen. Kenny stifled a laugh. Why bother caring anymore?<p>

A knock at the door startled him.

"Kenny?"

It was Stan.

"What?" Kenny called, barely a mumble. "Door's open."

The doorknob turned and Stan walked in, shutting it behind him.

"Hey dude. Don't you have work today?" Stan walked up to his friend and sat down next to him on the couch, brushing cans away to clear a spot.

"Lost it." Kenny replied plainly.

"Lost what?"

"My job."

Stan swallowed. "Oh…oh, I'm so sorry, dude…." He put a hand on Kenny's shoulder.

"It's fine." Kenny grunted, not taking his eyes off of the TV.

"How's Karen?" Stan asked after a moment, taking his hand away from Kenny's shoulder.

Kenny blinked, turning to Stan. "Karen."

"Yeah."

Kenny turned away, kicking the icepack off of his foot. "I don't know."

Stan peered at Kenny's bruised up hand and foot. "Dude, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Dude-"

Kenny broke in with a growl. "Nothing, alright?"

"Dude, I'm here for you." Stan frowned. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's up."

"We fought yesterday." Kenny said bluntly. "You all hate me, don't you?"

"Hate you? Kenny, never!"

"Why? I deserve it."

"Kenny, I'm going to be kind of blunt with you, but you gotta stop beating yourself up." Stan shifted in his seat. "It's getting tiring."

Kenny turned to Stan again, looking him dead in the eye. Stan flinched slightly. "Stan, have you ever lost a sibling?" Kenny's features grew serious in the soft light of the overhead lamp.

"No, I-"

"You have no room to talk, then."

Stan was about to say something, but stopped himself. "Y-you're right." Stan whispered after a few silent moments. He didn't want to argue with him.

* * *

><p>Stan had left and Kenny was left in solitude. Dark circles were evident under Kenny's eyes; he had barely slept at all the past day. He knew it would stay that way for a while as long as things were weighing heavy on his mind. Kenny laughed brokenly to himself.<p>

* * *

><p>There was a knock at Karen's door.<p>

Stan stood outside of Karen's apartment, mumbling something to Kyle. Butters and Cartman were peering over at each other and chatting softly before Karen opened the door. Karen stared at them with half opened eyes. "What?"

"We, uh…" Kyle started, but Stan took over.

"We need your help. Please." Stan had a pleading look in his eyes as he looked at Karen. "Just hear us out. It's about Kenny."

At the mention of the name, Karen was about to shut the door before Cartman kicked his foot in between the door. "Karen, please." It looked like it pained him to say the word. "We can't do this alone."

"He already refused my and yours' help." Karen's voice sounded drained. "I think I've tried all I can."

"We know you're mad with him. But he's really hurting. Like you said to me the other day." Cartman said, looking away and rubbing his arm. He looked as if he was conned into talking to Karen. Stan looked in his direction and nodded.

"Sorry, guys." Karen shook her head. "I'm done."

"Look, I just talked to him. He thinks you hate him, Karen." Stan frowned. "He thinks we _all_ hate him."

Karen looked down. "I don't hate him. I'm just very upset."

"But you have to understand that he is… grieving. It's only been two weeks since his sister died. You have to give him time. He needs comforting." Stan reasoned. "I know it may not look it, but he needs someone there for him, no matter how many times he says that he wants to be alone."

"Let's all go talk to him. I brought him someone to cheer him up!" Butters beamed, holding up his pride and joy cat, Mr. Fluffies. Mr. Fluffies meowed. Butters petted him, calico fur flying every which way, making Kyle sneeze. Kyle glared at Butters.

"I'm not going to talk to him. You guys can." Karen replied bluntly, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

"Please, Ms. Karen! Kenny really likes you. He would be happy if you saw him." Butters pleaded.

Karen frowned. After a few moments, she gave in. "Alright."

The five approached the door to Kenny's apartment, Kyle knocking on it. "Kenny?"

Kenny grunted, flipping through the channels of his TV. "It's open."

Kyle looked at Stan, who shrugged. He then proceeded to open the door, the four others following. The only light that illuminated the apartment was the glare of the TV. Butters put down Mr. Fluffies, who walked up to Kenny and meowed, begging for a petting. Kenny patted the spot next to him, allowing the cat to hop up next to him. Mr. Fluffies rubbed up against Kenny and purred. Kenny patted his head. "What do you guys want?" Kenny asked, his eyes not leaving the cat.

"We wanted to see how you were doing." Karen was the one to speak up first, her voice soft. Kenny turned to look at her slowly. His eyes showed a mix of unreadable emotions.

"Oh." His gaze returned to Mr. Fluffies. "I'm fine." He lied.

The five stood and watched Kenny, who was running his hand across Mr. Fluffies' back, a loud purr erupting from the cat.

"Would you like for Mr. Fluffies to stay with you tonight, Kenny?" Butters asked, smiling in Kenny's direction.

Kenny still had his eyes on the cat. "Sure."

"Okay!" Butters beamed, feeling like he fulfilled his job in helping.

"G-guys, let's leave Kenny to talk to Karen now, alright?" Stan beckoned everyone to the door and the four left. Karen stood by the door as Mr. Fluffies sat on Kenny's lap. Kenny continued to pet him, looking down.

"Ken…" Karen started, the words escaping her.

"Hm."

Karen approached him, hesitant on sitting.

"I-I'm sorry." Karen whispered.

"For what."

"For… not understanding."

"There's nothing to understand, Karen." Kenny's voice was rough.

Karen got down to Kenny's level in front of him. "I'm sorry." She said more clearly.

"Don't be." Kenny continued to pet Mr. Fluffies. Karen moved to sit next to Kenny on the couch.

"Can you look at me?" Karen whispered.

Kenny continued to look down at the cat.

"Would you fucking look at me, please?" Karen snapped, causing Mr. Fluffies to yowl and jump off of Kenny's lap, scampering towards the bedroom and under the bed. Kenny looked up and glared at her.

"What?" Kenny glowered.

"I'm trying to apologize and all you do is ignore me!" Karen's voice had a hint of hurt.

"And I told you that there's nothing to apologize for." Kenny got up and limped to the fridge, grabbing another Coke and opening it, returning to the couch. He plopped down and took a long sip.

"You are so god damn hard headed, Ken!" Karen tried to keep her composure. Kenny sat his drink down, unmoved.

"Mr. Fluffies!" Kenny called for the cat, which was still trembling under the bed.

"Will you just forget about the cat for a damn second?" Karen snapped. Without thinking, Karen grabbed Kenny by the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss, snapping Kenny out of his clouded self-centered trance. She pulled away quickly before Kenny could kiss back.

"I-I...I…" Karen stammered, her face beet red. Kenny stared at her, his mouth hung slightly open. Karen was about to bolt to the door when Kenny regained his composure and lightly grabbed her arm.

"W-wait." He stood up, facing Karen, whose face was still red with embarrassment.

"N-no, I gotta…" Karen stammered, not looking at Kenny. "Please let me go."

Granting her request, Kenny gently let go of Karen's arm. "Please don't go." Kenny whispered. He spun Karen around until she was facing him again. "Don't be embarrassed." He hesitated a moment before placing his hands on her waist. "Can I, uh… let's try this again." Kenny willed Karen to look up at him by lifting her chin up. He leaned in slowly as Karen wrapped her arms hesitantly around his neck. Karen could feel her heart thud hard in her chest. She was trembling slightly. Kenny could feel the nervousness coming off of her. With Kenny, girls never made him nervous. He always dove in, headfirst. But he felt the need to be extra careful with Karen. He felt like she would break if he held her the wrong way. He loosened his grip.

Kenny leaned in, kissing Karen softly, pulling her closer to him. He could feel her breathing quicken. He broke the kiss, looking at her worriedly. "Is everything ok?" Kenny whispered. "I-I'll stop. I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable."

"N-no, I'm just… a little nervous." Karen had a small smile on her face. "S-sorry." She closed her eyes as Kenny went in for another kiss, holding her close to him.

"I'm sorry, Karen. I've been such a dick to you lately…" Kenny mumbled into the kiss. "There's no reason to treat you badly… you don't deserve it." Kenny's breathing stalled when Karen kissed him back.

"Don't be sorry." Karen mumbled back hastily. Kenny deepened the kiss. The two backed into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>Light filtered through the curtains. Kenny rolled over in bed and groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. Realizing something was missing, Kenny sat up, the sheets shuffling around him. "Karen?"<p>

_Wait. _

_What?_

"We…?" Kenny questioned aloud. He grabbed his clothes off of the ground and hastily threw them on, limping to the living room. "Karen?" Kenny called again. She was gone. "Oh no…" he rubbed his head.

* * *

><p>Karen sat at her desk in the fourth grade classroom, her mind wandering other places. She tapped her fingers on her desk as the students scribbled their answers on their tests. She hated to leave Kenny alone after a night like… <em>that. <em>But deep down she felt… embarrassed. He had been her first time. She would never tell Kenny that. Sighing inwardly, Karen looked out the window. She watched as the snow drifted from the bleak sky. She knew things would never be the same between her and Kenny now. But she had a feeling something big was going to happen. She just couldn't quite pinpoint it.


	9. Chapter 9

****Hey guys, I'm back. Hope you all like this chapter. And if you liked it, please leave a review, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome!****

* * *

><p><strong>Ch 9<strong>

Karen stared disbelievingly at the object in her hand. It was as clear as day. A little plus sign made itself known on the pregnancy test. She tried three of them to make sure it was correct. _These things are pretty accurate. _Panic rose inside her. _What will I tell Ken?_

_I'll tell him when the time is right._

_Or not at all._

_He'll find out sooner or later._

_Maybe I can talk to one of his friends about it._

_No, that's cowardly._

Karen sighed. She rubbed her forehead worriedly. Karen walked to her apartment door and opened it, stepping outside. She hesitated before she knocked on the door to Stan and Kyle's apartment. There was a shuffling on the other side of the door and Stan opened it, peeking out at Karen. He opened the door wider and smiled. "Hello, Karen."

"Hi, Stan. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Karen's voice wavered.

"Sure, come in. Kyle and I were just having breakfast. You want any?"

"No, thanks…" Karen felt slightly nauseous. Stan beckoned her in, showing her to the couch where Kyle was sitting, his feet propped on the coffee table. A spread of toast and eggs was laid out on the table. Kyle munched on a piece of bacon.

"Oh, hey." Kyle waved with a free hand. Stan sat next to Kyle. "What's up, girl?" Kyle asked.

"Guys… how well does Kenny take… news?"

Stan cocked his head to the side. "News? What kind of news?"

Karen swallowed. _Just say it. _

"I'm…"

Stan and Kyle stared at her for a moment, Karen looking down. She fooled with her side ponytail and sighed heavily. "I'm… pregnant." Karen admitted quietly.

"Come again?" Stan asked.

"I'm pregnant."

Kyle nearly choked on his bacon. "W-what…?!" he managed to get out. "Kenny…?"

Karen looked down. "I need your help. I don't think I can tell him on my own."

Stan put his hand carefully on Karen's back. "We can help you. But eventually he will have to know."

Karen continued to look down. "I know." She swallowed. "I just don't know how he will take it. I'm… afraid. I need advice. I don't know why I came to you guys, but I did. My second pick was Butters, but he seems so oblivious most of the time."

"Don't trust Butters with this kind of stuff," Stan pointed out. "You came to the right place."

* * *

><p>Karen took a deep breath and stood in front of Kenny's door. She smoothed out her shirt for the umpteenth time it seemed, shuffling her feet. After a few moments, she knocked. Stan and Kyle had given her good advice. They told her to just be honest with Kenny. And that's what she was going to do.<p>

No answer for several moments. No shuffling or footsteps. Just silence. Karen was about to walk back to her apartment when Kenny appeared from downstairs. His footsteps reverberated as he approached Karen. "Oh, hey, Karen." Kenny greeted. He held a few bags in his hands. "What's up?"

"I-I need to talk to you about something." Karen admitted, shuffling her feet nervously as Kenny fished his keys out of his pocket, inserting the key into his apartment door. He beckoned her inside and he followed, sitting the bags on the dining room table. He plopped down on the couch, patting the spot next to him. "Yeah?"

Karen felt like she was going to be sick. It was either nerves or morning sickness. She couldn't pinpoint the source. She sat down carefully, smoothing out her jeans, sighing heavily.

"Karen?"

"Kenny."

"Karen, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm pregnant." Karen whispered, continuing to look down.

"W-what?"

"I'm pregnant." Karen stated more clearly, a lump in her throat. "I'm pregnant, Ken."

Kenny felt like the room was spinning. He grabbed his head. "Woah, what?"

"K-Ken-"

"You?" he pointed at Karen. "You?"

"This is what I was afraid of. I'll just… give you some time." Karen felt tears come to her eyes. "Sorry." She got up and walked to the door.

"W-wait, no, I'm sorry. It's just… a lot of information at one time." Kenny felt dazed. "Come here." He looked at her. "Please."

Karen hesitantly sat back down next to him.

"H-how long… uh…" Kenny stammered.

"…Have I known?" Karen finished for him. Kenny nodded. "Just today. I found out today."

"Y-you took a test?" Kenny asked, looking at Karen's stomach.

"I took three."

The two sat in silence.

"Oh." Kenny swallowed. "Hmm." Kenny got up and began pacing the room, a look of distraught on his face. He didn't know what to think of the situation. Karen watched him.

"S-so are you ok with this, Kenny?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright with the situation."

"I…"

Karen frowned.

"I need time."

* * *

><p>Another month passed. Kenny and Karen had not spoken to each other about the pregnancy since the day Karen had told him. Karen sat at her desk at the elementary school, watching her students chat on about random subjects and what they had done over the weekend. Kenny was supposed to come in today and take her out to lunch. Karen sighed and tapped her fingers on her desk. Kenny walked in just as Karen was about to call him. "Hey." He waved. Karen smiled.<p>

"Hi." She responded. "Class is almost over. Can you wait a few minutes?"

"Sure." Kenny sat down in a chair next to her.

Karen's mind began to wander. Worry was evident on her face. Kenny didn't notice. He was too busy being preoccupied himself.

"Stop him! He's got a gun!" shouted a voice down the hall. Karen jolted out of her day dream. The students fell silent. "I said stop him!"

_What?_

A man armed with a gun and knife burst through the door. "Everyone, down on the fucking ground, now!" he shouted, causing the students to scream. He stopped and looked at Karen. His eyebrow rose. "Well, well, miss, we meet again." a malicious smirk spread across his face. The students trembled in fear.

Karen had a sudden realization.

_Is that the same man that tried to rob me a couple months ago?_

He approached her. Kenny stood up, his hands balled into fists. "Don't you fucking touch her." he growled. The perpetrator turned to Kenny, the smirk disappearing from his face.

"What are you going to do about it, pretty boy?" he jeered, a loud laugh escaping him. Without warning, the man kicked Kenny in the side of the face, knocking him down with a grunt. It knocked him out cold. "Now that he's taken care of…" he turned back to Karen. The students stared on, some crying, some holding on to each other.

"Kenny!" Karen cried, a gasp escaping her. She rushed to him, a bruise already forming on the right side of his face. "Ken! Ken!" she repeated, tears rimming her eyes. "You mother fucker…" she turned to the perpetrator. Karen's features contorted into an angry glare. She lunged for him, only to have terrible pain surge through her. The whole world seemed to stop. Karen felt something jab into her stomach. She gasped for air, her eyes wide.

_No. _

_What's going on?_

Karen fell to the floor, coughing. She felt something warm drip from her mouth, spattering the tiled floor of the classroom. The students gasped. "Miss Karen!" one little girl cried.

Karen looked up at the perpetrator, her eyes fixated on his. She had a look of disbelief on her face. The liquid seeped onto her white blouse. She held the wound, pulling her hand away to look at it. Blood smeared her hands. It felt surreal to her. "K-Ken…" she managed to get out before the world around her faded to black.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I hope you like this one. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all of the awesome reviews!**

* * *

><p>Ch 10<p>

Nothing had happened. It felt like it was a dream to Karen. She wasn't dead yet. But it sure did feel like it. She had woken up in a hospital bed, a searing pain in her gut.

A doctor walked into the room, looking at her solemnly. "Miss Bruhn? Where you… aware that you were pregnant?"

Karen swallowed, nodding.

"I'm so sorry… we're afraid…" the doctor trailed off.

"Afraid what?" Karen's heart dropped.

"You had a miscarriage when you were stabbed in the stomach." He finished. "I'm so sorry."

"A-a miscarriage?" Karen repeated. The room began to spin. "What?"

"Yes." The doctor nodded, genuine sympathy in his eyes. "I am truly sorry."

"Where's Ken?" Karen's voice was weak. She was still processing the news. "I want Ken."

"He's out in the waiting room. I'll go get him." The doctor left, shutting the door quietly behind him. When he returned, Kenny approached Karen, holding an icepack to his face. Karen frowned. The doctor left the room, shutting the door for privacy.

"Ken…" she held out a hand and brushed her fingers against his free hand. "Are you alright?"

"All I care about is you right now." He whispered. "I'll be fine."

"Ken, it's gone." Karen whispered unclearly. She was still dazed.

"What's gone, Karen?"

"I had a miscarriage." She whispered, her voice cracking. "It's gone."

Kenny swallowed as Karen's body began to tremble violently. "Gone." She repeated. Kenny wrapped his arms around her as she began to sob, grabbing on to the back of his shirt as she screamed silently into his chest.

* * *

><p>In the days that followed, Kenny had barely slept at all. He had dark circles under his eyes, and everyone noticed. His friends were worried about both Kenny and Karen. Kenny had still not been able to find a job, so he spent most of his time watching over Karen.<p>

Karen had a look of anguish on her face when she opened the door to her apartment. "Hi, Ken." She said weakly. "How are you?"

"I'm… are you alright?" he asked, surveying her.

"Oh, just fine." she replied, an obvious fake smile on her face. "Don't worry about me."

"I'm very worried."

"Don't be."

* * *

><p>Kenny couldn't sleep. He had returned to his apartment and was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. A dark expression lingered on his face. He would get revenge for Karen. And he knew where to find it. Kenny sat up in bed, the sheets shuffling around him. The moonlight was the only thing illuminating the dark room, filtering through the closed curtains.<p>

Kenny walked to his closet, staring at his Mysterion costume for a good five minutes. It seemed to stare back at him. It beckoned him with sweet revenge. A sly smile crept on Kenny's face.

* * *

><p>"It's a miracle you didn't get caught, Travis. You really are stepping up your game." A gruff voice said from behind a man dressed in black. He was sitting on the wooden floor of a burned down saw mill, sharpening several knives. Travis turned to look at the source of the voice.<p>

"That stupid bitch survived. I kicked her pretty boy boyfriend out cold, though. I loved to see the look of shock on her face when he hit the ground." A smile played on Travis' lips. He dusted off his black hoodie, running a hand through his thick black hair. He turned around, back to sharpening his knife. "You should have seen it, Nick."

There was a moment of silence.

"You make me sick." The voice sounded familiar to Travis. He spun around to locate the source of the voice. The body of Travis' comrade, Nick, was lying face down with a tranquillizer dart stuck in the back of his neck. Travis had a look of shock on his face, but it disappeared quickly. He looked up. "You again." Travis growled. "How'd you find me?"

Mysterion dropped down from a charred wood support, his cape flowing behind him. "You weren't easy to find." Mysterion replied roughly.

"What do you want?" Travis growled.

"You know what I'm here for."

Realization hit Travis like a speeding train. "Pretty boy." He smirked. "I knew I recognized that voice." Mysterion pulled down his hood to reveal his messy blond hair.

"How's your girlfriend?" Travis jeered, continuing to sharpen a knife.

"She was pregnant." Kenny snapped. "You caused her to have a miscarriage. Does that make you happy?"

Travis let out a laugh, echoing around the abandoned building. "Your girl was pregnant? I'm guessing you were the father?"

Kenny narrowed his eyes.

"I guess that's a yes."

Kenny admired his arm spikes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Maybe you would like to know what it feels like to die?"

Travis stood his ground. "You won't be living when I'm through with you."

Now it was Kenny's turn to laugh. "I've seen death countless times. But you will only see it once." Kenny let out a swift kick when Travis let his guard down, knocking him to the ground with a thud. The knife flew out of his hand as he hit the ground. Kenny brought his boot down on Travis' chest hard, a loud crack reverberating throughout the small worn out building.

"You mother fucker!" Travis wheezed, trying to stand up, but Kenny's strength was too immense for him. Kenny brought his face closer to Travis'.

"Do you want to die?" Kenny asked in a low whisper. "I can make that happen." His eyes were narrow slits now. Travis struggled under Kenny's weight. "Or maybe I can let you off with a warning again. Or I'll just finish you off so you won't cause any more trouble around town."

Fear flashed in Travis' eyes momentarily. "I'm not scared of you."

"Your expression says otherwise." Kenny smirked. He felt Travis' body tremble slightly. "You're just a coward."

Travis tried to reach for the knife that was lying beside him, but couldn't. Kenny snatched it up when he saw Travis eyeing it. "Hmmm… this knife looks pretty damn sharp. You did a good job." Kenny turned it around in his hand, surveying it. He was still close to Travis' face. "Wonder how it will feel in your chest? Do you wanna test it out?"

"N-no, please, just… let me go…" Travis begged, the "bad man" essence of him fading away.

"Hmm, how about no." with a quick jab, Kenny implanted the knife into Travis' chest, blood spurting out and spattering Kenny's face. He stabbed him a few more times until he was panting, blood soaking his uniform and dripping down his face. Kenny's eyes were wide with anger. He didn't notice Travis' breathing stall and halt. Kenny's adrenaline rush slowed to a halt as he looked at what he had done. Travis was dead. Kenny's hands trembled as he dropped the knife, standing over the dead man. "What have I…?" He stared wide eyed at the victim at his feet. "…Done?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I hope you like this one. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all of the awesome reviews!**

* * *

><p>Ch 11<p>

Kenny stared at his reflection in Stark's Pond. Watery blood dripped down his forehead as he splashed his face with the pond water. It was cool and refreshing. But Kenny's thoughts were drowned out by the images of Travis' dead and mangled bloody body at his feet. It wasn't the cold water that was making him shiver anymore. The bright stars dotted the sky, the moon high now. It was midnight.

_I have to leave South Park._

_I have to leave everything behind for a while. With no word of where I'm going. No one needs to know._

Kenny pulled his hood back up and looked down at his clean hands. But they still had blood on them, metaphorically. Kenny began his trek back home.

* * *

><p>When Kenny returned to his apartment, he made sure no one was out in the halls. He still reeked of blood. He could smell it everywhere. He fished out the keys to his apartment with a trembling hand, inserting the key into the lock and turning the knob. Shutting the door and rushing to the bedroom, Kenny stripped himself of his uniform and pulled on clean clothes; a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. He pulled out a duffle bag from the back of his closet and shoved as much clothes as he could fit in it.<p>

_Forgive me, Karen._

Kenny made up his mind. There was no turning back now. He had enough fuel to get him to Denver, a three hour drive from South Park. There he would stay in a motel. He had enough money saved up from after he lost his job to last him for a few months.

_Just until I can clear my head._

_You'll always have a guilty conscious. _

_You can't run forever. _

Kenny shook the thoughts out of his head. He grabbed the duffle bag and rushed to the door, taking a second look back, and disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

><p>"H-has anyone seen Ken today?" Karen asked worriedly, frowning as she looked up at Stan hopefully. He peeked at her from the cracked apartment door before opening it fully.<p>

"No, why?" Stan asked, a frown on his face to match Karen's. "Haven't seen him since yesterday. Uhh, come in." he beckoned her inside, motioning her to the couch where Kyle was lounging in his pajamas.

"Hey, Karen. How are you?" Kyle waved as Stan sat back down next to him.

"Worried." She frowned, taking the spot furthest away from the two. Kyle snuggled up closer to Stan and gave him a look. Stan returned the look with a wink then turned to Karen.

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon, Karen." Stan reasoned. "It's only been a day."

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled up to a small dingy motel on Colfax Avenue in Denver. It was almost noon now, but the neon sign was brightly lit with the words "7 Star Motel" and there was vacancy. It had the cheapest rates but the most terrible ratings. It would have to do for now. After all, Kenny was running low on money. Kenny sighed with relief. He exited the car, grabbing his belongings from the front seat. He swung the bag over his shoulder and approached the building.<p>

Once Kenny had gotten his room key, he slid the card into the door and opened it, walking inside. He closed the door and threw himself on the bed, letting out an exhausted groan. He kicked off his shoes sighed.

_I need a drink._

Kenny rolled over on to his side, sighing. He stared at the wall for several minutes. He sat up after a while, rubbing his head. He dug in his back pocket for his wallet, fishing it out and opening it, looking at its contents. Five twenties and three fives, a few ones and some spare change. Kenny counted one-hundred and eighteen dollars and some odd change. He also had a credit card if he ran out of cash. He shoved the money back in the wallet and shuffled off of the bed, throwing on his shoes. A dark look crossed his face.

* * *

><p>Karen was getting worried. Kenny had not come back in almost two days.<p>

_Where could he have gone?_

Karen lay in bed, staring at the ceiling fan that was whirring up ahead. She touched her fingers to the stitches on her stomach, wincing slightly. She was supposed to change the dressing every few hours, but her mind was elsewhere. She wasn't worried about herself. She was worried about Kenny. Karen narrowed her eyes. Snapping her out of her dark thoughts, Karen's phone buzzed on her bedside table. She hastily picked it up with a gasp, answering it quickly. "Ken?" she croaked.

"No, Stan. Have you seen Kenny yet?"

"N-no…" Karen swallowed.

"Come on over. We're all here. We need to talk." And with that, Stan hung up the phone.

Karen shuffled out of bed and slipped on her house shoes, groaning in pain as she grabbed her stomach.

_This is making me worried sick._

Karen knocked on the door to Stan and Kyle's apartment, Kyle answering it. "Come on in." he beckoned her in, Cartman, Stan, and Butters all standing around the dining room table, chatting quietly. They all turned when they saw Karen. Butters approached her and wrapped his arms around her, smiling.

"Hi, Miss Karen." He beamed.

"Hello, Butters." Karen faked a smile.

"Careful with her." Stan snapped. Butters pulled away with a dejected look on his face. Karen pulled Stan aside and frowned.

"You haven't told them at all that I was pregnant, have you?" Karen whispered. "I mean, only you and Kyle know?"

"Yeah. Just like you wanted." Stan whispered back, tossing a look at Cartman and Butters.

"I just… I want Ken to be ok. I'm really worried."

Cartman's eyebrow rose at the word, he had overheard the conversation and was intrigued.

_Karen was pregnant? Kenny…?_

"It's been over 48 hours, you guys. We need to report him missing." Kyle's voice rose over the chatter. Stan turned to him, frowning.

"He's right, you guys." Stan agreed, nodding.

* * *

><p>Kenny reluctantly unscrewed the cap to a Jameson bottle.<p>

_This always makes Stan happy. Maybe it'll make me feel good too. I needed something harder._

He took a sip, grimacing at the first taste of it on his tongue.

_I need this._

Kenny took another large gulp, some of the liquor dripping down his chin. He wiped it away and continued to drink, his worries seeming to melt away. Kenny swayed slightly as he got up and moved to the bed, laughing half-heartedly to himself. He threw himself on the bed, laughter erupting from him.

_What's so funny?_

_You're running away from your problems. _

_There's nothing funny about that._

* * *

><p>Day six. Karen had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Stan was becoming worried for her.<p>

"Why hasn't the search party called us yet?" Karen's worried thoughts made themselves vocal.

"They've been searching South Park, along with Aurora, Loveland, Fort Collins and parts of Denver but with no luck yet. It takes time, Karen." Stan soothed, patting her back. The two sat at Stan's dining room table after Karen had woken up to her own panicked screams. She had rushed to Stan and Kyle's apartment, banging on the door and mumbling something about "He got Ken" but didn't give any more details. Stan calmed her down after a while and Karen was embarrassed to admit it was just a nightmare. "He'll turn up."

Karen swallowed. "I miss him."

* * *

><p>A knock at the door make Cartman jump. He removed himself from the couch, shuffling grumpily towards the door, and opened it. "Can I help you?" Cartman eyed the woman at his doorstep.<p>

"Hi, I'm Lucy. I'm friends with Karen and Kenny. I live upstairs, floor three."

Cartman put a hand on his hip. "And?"

"I heard about the accident. Is Karen ok? I mean, I heard it on the news but didn't find out it was her that got stabbed until like, an hour ago."

"Why are you asking me? Why don't you ask her yourself?" Cartman replied rudely.

"She wouldn't answer."

"Oh, well, yeah. I heard she was pregnant and she lost it-"

Lucy cut him off with a gasp. "Really?"

"Yeah." Cartman nodded. "But don't tell anyone I told you that."

"Of course." Lucy had a sly smile on her face. "Thanks, cutie." She gave Cartman a wink and skipped down the hall.

* * *

><p>Karen frowned as she stared at her stitches. The wound was infected. She carefully applied the ointment she was prescribed and winced, hoping it would reverse the infection. A knock at the door startled her. Karen wiped off her hands and rushed to the door.<p>

Her hopes were crushed when she saw Lucy at her door. "Oh… hello." Karen whispered.

"Hi, doll. Can I come in?" Lucy grinned widely.

"Sure, but-" Karen began, but was cut off by Lucy.

"Ohhh, cute apartment!" Lucy danced around, admiring the photos hanging on the wall.

"I was just-" Karen began again.

"So, doll, how are youuu?" Lucy drew out the last word.

"I'm… alright."

"What's wrong? You look so sad." Lucy took her hands. "Talk to me, sweetie."

"My best friend is missing." Karen whispered roughly.

"Who? That Kenny guy?"

Karen nodded slowly.

"He's a sweetheart, isn't he?" Lucy winked.

_I'll draw it out of her. _Lucy thought.

"Yes." Karen nodded again.

"So, a little birdy told me…" Lucy trailed off, giving Karen an exaggerated look.

"Told you what?" Karen eyed Lucy as she spun around in a circle.

"You were pregnant." Lucy batted her eyes and clapped her hands together. "Is that true?"

Karen swallowed, looking down. The wound was still fresh for her. "Mhm." _Who the fuck told her?_

"Don't you think…" Lucy began. "…That Kenny got freaked out and left because you were pregnant?"

Karen's eyes narrowed.

"I'm just saying," Lucy put her hands up defensively. "That maaaaybe, he wasn't ready for that kind of commitment."

"Get out." Karen growled, eyes slits.

"Care Bear, I'm only stating the facts." Lucy's facial features became serious. "Maybe it's your fault he left."

"Get the fuck OUT!" Karen shouted. She held her gut as searing pain jolted through her body. "Get out before I call Stan over here!"

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving." Lucy moved herself to the door, walking out into the hall and turning back to Karen. "Just think about it, Care Bear." And with that, Lucy disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Day seven.<p>

It seemed to Kenny that he was getting drunk every night since he left South Park. He had the 'no disturb' sign hanging on the door for the nights he stayed so no one would bother him. With no one to get on him about drinking, Kenny felt free.

Kenny sat on the floor of his motel room, playing solitaire with a deck of cards. He took another long swig of Jameson, the bottle almost empty. "Fuck, _this_ is the _life_." Kenny told himself drunkly, his words slurred terribly. "Except, I do miss _one_ person the most." Kenny held his mouth when he felt the bile rose in his throat. "_You_." He pointed to a picture propped up against the dresser. It was a photo of Karen, her beautiful raven hair in her usual side ponytail. "I fucking miss you." Kenny swayed drunkly. "Except you would probably be yelling at me by now, wouldn't you?" Kenny laughed, a hiccup escaping him. "Mhhmm…" he nodded. Kenny frowned, taking the last sips of the Jameson.

_You're such a coward, running away._

_I needed to get away._

_And leave Karen behind? Did you even stop to think what she felt?_

_No._

_Then you are selfish._

* * *

><p>Karen sat crying at her dining room table.<p>

_Maybe it _is_ my fault?_

Karen swallowed her sobs when she heard her apartment door open. "Karen?" Stan called. "You alright?" he made sure to check on her every hour on the hour.

"M-mhm." She nodded, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. Kyle followed in behind Stan.

"What's wrong, dear?" Kyle frowned, sitting next to her at the table. He hooked an arm carefully around her middle, making sure not to disturb the stitches.

"Did either of you tell Lucy about me being pregnant?" Karen began to sob again. Kyle looked at Stan and the two shook their heads.

"What if it's my fault that Ken left?" Karen managed to choke out.

"Now what makes you say that?" Kyle soothed.

"L-Lucy."

"Lucy?" Kyle frowned.

"That fake blonde chick?" Stan blinked. "Her?"

Karen nodded. Stan narrowed his eyes. "I think I'll have a little talk with her. What floor and apartment does she live in?"

Karen sniffed, frowning. "You don't have to do that, Stan."

"No, I will not sit here and let you believe it's your fault for Kenny being missing." Stan balled his hands into fists. "No." he stood up. Karen placed a hand on Stan's arm. She felt his muscles tense.

"It's alright, Stan." Karen stated firmly. Her smile was broken.

Stan relaxed his muscles. "I'm going to talk to her right now." He had a determined look on his face, and Karen knew there was no stopping him now.

* * *

><p>Kenny woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned, tossing over on to his side. An empty bottle of Jameson lay at his side, along with a deck of playing cards sprawled on the floor underneath him.<p>

_This can't keep happening. _

_I can do what I want now, shut up._

_You'll have to go back sooner or later. _

_Hmm._

Kenny sat up, rubbing his head.

* * *

><p>Stan knocked on the door to Lucy's apartment. She opened the door, surveying Stan. "Hello, darling. Can I help you?"<p>

"Lucy?" Stan panted.

"Yes?" Lucy frowned.

"What you said to Karen was wrong. Now please, I'm asking this only once, to leave her be." Stan said calmly.

"Ooh, sweetie. What I said was the truth. And I guess the truth hurts, huh?" Lucy cooed, batting her eyes. "Too bad she took it too hard. I wasn't trying to be mean."

"Well, she took it that way." Stan tried not to growl. Lucy took Stan's hands.

"Sweetheart, why don't we talk this out over a cup of coffee?" Lucy smiled devilishly.

"I'm gay." Stan said flatly.

Lucy put on her best pouty face. "Why are all the good men gay?"

Stan pulled away from her. "Stay away from Karen. No, you know what? Stay away from all of us." And with that, Stan disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Kenny sat swirling the contents of a bottle of Jack Daniels. His headache had worsened, and the room was spinning.<p>

_Why do you keep doing this to yourself?_

_I'm hurting._

_You're a fucking coward is what you are. _

He took a long drink of the liquor, the liquid dripping down his chin.

_This has to stop. _

_It won't stop until I can feel whole again._


	12. Chapter 12

**First off, I want to get something straight (even though it's obvious this far in the story, and it was very clear in the beginning of the story to begin with) Kenny's sister, Karen, is dead. The Karen that is in the story (with black curly hair), with Kenny, is not his sister. Kenny's sister is not alive. it was stated in the beginning that she is dead. I hope I cleared that up. Anyways...**

**H****ey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I hope you like this one. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all of the awesome reviews!**

* * *

><p>Ch 12<p>

Kenny shoved the last of his belongings into his duffle bag. He took one last look at the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels before zipping up the bag. _It's time to return to South Park._

_You'll have to explain why you left._

_I'll make something up._

* * *

><p>"I'm going to find Ken." Karen stated firmly, looking Stan in the eye.<p>

"You are in no condition to leave anywhere." Stan reasoned.

"Stan, he's out there somewhere."

"Maybe he just needed time alone." Stan shrugged.

"You're not worried for him?" Karen frowned.

"No, I am, I just think-"

"I'm going."

* * *

><p>Karen didn't make it far. She didn't know <em>where <em>to go. She turned back after an hour of driving around. She returned to her apartment, a disconsolate look on her face. Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Butters were all back at their separate apartments, sleeping soundly. But Karen had too much on her mind. Until she heard a banging on her door.

Swallowing, Karen got up and shuffled to the door, unlocking it and peeking outside. "K-Ken…? Ken?!" Karen stared disbelievingly at the figure in the threshold. He stumbled slightly.

"Karen!" his voice was slurred. He almost toppled over, but grabbed the door frame for support. Kenny swayed drunkly. "I missed you."

"W-where have you been? I've been worried si-" Kenny cut Karen off with a kiss. He pushed her into the apartment and kicked the door closed.

"Shhh…" he pulled away, touching his thumb to her chin, lifting it up to look at him. Kenny saw a flash of fear in her eyes, her mouth slightly open. She definitely tasted alcohol on his tongue. He leaned in for another kiss, but Karen pushed him lightly away, a hand on his chest.

"You're drunk." Karen whispered, a hint of hurt in her voice. The shadows played on Kenny's features; the only light coming from a dim lamp in Karen's bedroom. He had an unreadable expression on his face. "You've been drinking more lately, haven't you? Is that why you left?" her voice was hoarse. "I was worried for you, Ken. I thought something happened to you." Karen's voice wavered. "And now I've learned you're doing this to yourself again-"

"Don't lecture me, alright?" Kenny snapped, earning a startled look from Karen. "I'm an adult. I'm not a damn child, Karen."

Karen trembled, looking down. "Ken, I'm worried." She said, almost inaudibly. "I'm honestly scared to be around you when you're like this."

"What, you think I'm going to hurt you?" Kenny growled. "You know I'm not like that."

Karen took a step back, mumbling something incoherent. She clasped her hands together, looking down. "Ken, I…I love you, and I don't want to see you this way. I think you need help that I can't give you."

"I don't need _help _Karen." Kenny slurred. "I need _you_."

Karen swallowed. "Go back to your apartment. I-I'll walk you there. Get some rest. Sober up."

"I want to stay here with you." Kenny staggered closer, brushing the back of his hand lightly against her cheek. "You need me."

"I need you when you're sober. You aren't Ken when you're drunk. You're someone completely different." Karen whispered as Kenny kissed her neck. "S-stop…" she tried to pull away. He had a strong grip on her waist. "Let me go, please."

"I need you, Karen." He whispered.

"Please let me go, Kenny."

"I need you!"

It was the last straw for Karen. "Leave, Kenny! I don't want you here right now!" tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as she shouted at him.

"Are we really doing this again?" Kenny growled. He gripped her waist harder. Karen began to cry, her body racked with sobs. Someone must have heard the commotion because there was a loud banging on the door. Kenny whipped his head around to look at the door. He narrowed his eyes. He turned slowly back to Karen, his face softening in the dim lamp light. "I would never hurt you." The knocking continued. "Stop crying." The door swung open and Stan stood in the threshold as a silhouette.

"Get off of her!" Stan threw himself at Kenny, nearly knocking him down. His look of anger turned to shock as he recognized the perpetrator. "K-Kenny?" Stan had his hands planted firmly on Kenny's shoulders.

"Get off of me!" Kenny grunted, shoving Stan hard away from him. Stan stared at Kenny disbelievingly.

"Dude, where have you been?" Stan asked, looking Kenny up and down. He squinted in the dim light flooding from Karen's bedroom.

"I've been out." Kenny growled, dusting off his shirt. "Why the _fuck_ do _you_ care?"

"Karen's been worried fucking sick." Stan narrowed his eyes at his friend. "And you leave without a phone call or telling any of us face to face? What is going on, Kenny?"

Kenny hesitated, stumbling slightly. He backed into a wall for support. "You don't need to know."

"And are you drunk?" Stan peered at him closely.

"Fuck you, Stan." Kenny growled. Karen stood watch.

"Ken, please-" she began.

"Shut up." Kenny snapped, still eyeing Stan.

"Don't tell her to shut up." Stan glowered, his voice hinting warning.

"Make me, fag." Kenny narrowed his eyes as Stan approached him. Stan gave him a disbelieving look, balling his hands into fists.

"I'll teach you a fucking lesson, Kenny. Leave Karen alone. You aren't in the state to be around her right now." Stan warned.

"Stan, w-what are you doing?" Karen whispered. She clasped her hands together, her eyes glistening in the dark. "Please, don't do whatever you are thinking of." She backed into a wall as the two men stared each other down. They were practically butting heads.

"I'm warning you, Kenny. Leave now and you won't get hurt." Stan warned.

"You don't have the guts to punch me, fucker. You're just a pansy who is in love with another pansy. Kyle, was it?" Kenny nearly laughed.

Something in Stan's brain snapped. He threw himself at Kenny with a shout, knocking him to the ground. Kenny felt the breath get knocked out of his lungs, letting out a surprised cry. Stan stood over him, panting, his hands balled into fists. "This is how it's gonna be, huh?" Stan caught his breath, his chest heaving. Kenny tried to stand up, retaining his balance. Stan stopped him by bringing a foot down on his chest.

"Stan, please!" Karen cried. "Don't hurt him!" Stan ignored her. His mind was clouded with anger. He went in for the first punch, catching Kenny right below his left eye. Kenny let out an angry growl, crawling backwards as Stan removed his foot from Kenny's chest. Kenny stumbled as he got up, his hands balled into fists. He squinted as he threw an uncoordinated punch at Stan, barely missing his right shoulder. A small cut had formed under Kenny's eye as blood dripped from his cheek.

"I'll leave." Kenny grunted, turning towards the door. He knew he couldn't win this fight. He took one last look at Stan and narrowed his eyes before returning to his own apartment and slamming the door. Karen stood trembling in a corner. Stan approached her.

"A-are you alright?" he asked Karen, and she nodded.

"Fine. Just… please leave. I'm sorry I've caused all this trouble, and you almost got hurt." Karen looked down regretfully. She carefully wrapped her arms around Stan's middle, letting go almost instantaneously. "I'm sorry." She whispered finally.

* * *

><p>Kenny woke up to a stinging below his eye. He touched his fingers to it, wincing. Fresh blood dotted his fingertips. He sat up from the couch, rubbing his forehead. He got up slowly, squinting from the migraine that was taking over his body. He walked to his bedroom and looked into the wall mirror, groaning at the man staring back at him. A swollen bruise was noticeable on Kenny's left cheek.<p>

_I did something terrible last night. _

The things that Kenny could remember were burning in the back of his mind. Karen frightened, Stan worried for her, and angry at him.

_You could have hurt either of them._

_And you did. _

_This has to end._


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, back with a new chapter! Thanks for all the awesome reviews. If you liked, please review, it helps me continue the story. Thanks as always!**

* * *

><p>Ch 13<p>

"Alright, guys, gather 'round." Stan's voice rose above the loud chatter filling the apartment. "As you know," Stan began, sighing, "That… Kenny was in a bad place last night when he came back. We need to fix that."

Kyle, Butters, Cartman turned to look at the in-charge man of the situation. Kyle nodded firmly. "We need to get him his job back. The problem is; he has too much time on his hands to get into trouble like he did this past week." Stan continued.

"So, what do you suppose we do?" Cartman jumped in. "We can't do everything for him."

"That's what I was getting to." Stan nodded. "We go to his ex-manager and talk him into re-hiring Kenny."

Cartman scoffed. "_That's_ your plan?"

"That's our only hope, it seems. He won't go out and find another job, so it's up to us." Kyle reasoned. "It's what good friends do, Cartman."

Cartman glared.

"Alright, let's hop to it." Stan beckoned everyone to the door as he led them out into the hall.

* * *

><p>"Please, sir. I would like to explain everything that's been going on with Kenny the last couple of months." Stan reasoned. A stout man with slicked back brown hair and stubble stood in front of the men trying to convince him.<p>

Kenny's ex-manager raised an eyebrow. "You boys run along. I already told you he was too much of an unreliable worker, alright?" he straightened out his tie and was about to walk away.

"Wait, sir." Cartman said. "Business man to business man. Let's talk."

"Oh? You're a business man yourself?" the manager said. Cartman nodded and took his hand, shaking it.

"Eric Cartman. C.E.O of Motivation Corp. down in Denver."

"Pleasure, the name's Rick Mann." He nodded as he let go of Cartman's hand. "That huge building down on Colfax?" Rick questioned. Cartman nodded enthusiastically. "I see."

"I know how important Kenny was to your company, Rick. He's a very hard worker, no?" Cartman reasoned. Stan knew his trickery would come in handy, that's why he convinced Cartman to come along with them. "He was the best worker you had." Cartman raised an eyebrow. "Am I correct?"

"Yeah, you're pretty damn right. He was a hard worker. Nice to all my customers, y'know? He racked up so many good ratings for our shop." Rick rubbed the back of his neck. "I wish he was still here." While Rick wasn't looking, Cartman turned around with a thumbs up.

"So you'll re-hire him?" Cartman asked. Rick shook his head.

"I'm sorry, boys, if he really wants this job back, he's going to have to come talk to me face to face." Rick frowned. Stan rubbed his forehead, stepping in.

"Sir, can I talk to you over here in private?" Stan asked, and Rick gave him a questioning look. Stan pulled him aside.

"Kenny's been getting drunk every night and he went missing for a week. I need you to put him in his place. He needs something to do rather than getting drunk all of the time. If he had something to do, we can help him out more, you know?" Stan gave Rick a hopeful look.

There was a moment of silence on Rick's part before he spoke. "Alright, kid, you got a deal. I'll start him back on Monday. You got two days. After that, I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Stan beamed, returning to his friends.

* * *

><p>"Kenny?" Stan knocked on the door to his friend's apartment. There was no answer for several minutes. Then a click was heard on the other side of the door. Kenny peeked out and glowered at the sight of Stan.<p>

"What?"

"Can I talk to you?" Stan noticed how bad Kenny's eye looked. It was purple and swollen. Stan grimaced. "Uhh, please?"

"Go away." Kenny shut the door in his face, locking it. Stan sighed.

"Kenny, please?" he called. Kenny sat back down on the couch; a pile of Coke cans lie on the spot next to him. He added to the pile and scowled.

"Go away." Kenny repeated.

"I'm sorry." Stan called. "Please, there's something important I need to tell you!"

Kenny finally gave in and walked to the door, unlocking it. He beckoned Stan inhospitably inside, slamming the door behind him. "What?"

"W-we got your job back for you." Stan stated calmly. "It took some convincing, but we did it."

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "You what?"

"Got your job back." Stan repeated.

Kenny took a long drink of his Coke, crushing it in his hand and throwing it against the wall. Stan jumped. "I don't need a job."

"Yes, you do. All you do is drink all day and-" Stan started, but Kenny cut in harshly.

"Stan, you have no idea what I've been through." Kenny snapped.

"The least you can do is be thankful!" Stan shouted, his voice crackling with anger. "We are trying to help you!"

"Just leave." Kenny growled shortly.

"Your job starts Monday, 6:00 AM sharp. Don't be late." And with that, Stan left, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p>It was Monday.<p>

Karen had still not returned to the Elementary school. It had been closed down for investigation, so she was out of work as well, trying to find a new job. She walked past the mechanic shop, quickly making her way down the sidewalk. She had caught wind that Kenny was returning to work. She hadn't spoken to him since the incident.

Karen held one more job application in her hand. She dropped off her application at her last destination and began to make her way home. She pulled on a Colorado Rockies hoodie and shivered, it was starting to snow. _Ken's hoodie was warmer. _She shook the thought out of her mind. She shoved her hands into her pockets and sighed. _I miss him._

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled up to the mechanic shop, killing the engine to his car. He had had a rough night. He didn't sleep at all.<p>

"Ken." Rick smiled as Kenny walked up in his uniform. "How are ya?" he said in his usual off-putting gruff voice.

"Great, thanks." Kenny replied shortly. "I, uh, I'm ready to come back and work. If you'll take me."

"Of course I will, my boy! We've missed you around here." Rick put a hand on his shoulder, and frowned when he noticed Kenny's swollen left cheek. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just… ran into a wall." Kenny responded, rubbing his cheek softly. He winced.

"That wall beat you up good." Rick laughed slightly.

"He did." Kenny grimaced. Rick looked slightly confused, but shook off the look.

"Alright, boy, get to work." Rick slapped his hands down on Kenny's shoulders and walked off.

* * *

><p>Karen had returned to her apartment. Stan had come over to check on her and left shortly after, as she was getting tired. Stan reasoned with her that she should rest a while before getting a new job, but Karen hadn't listened to him. <em>I can take care of myself. <em>

Karen heard someone open the door next to hers out in the hall. _Sounds like Ken in back._ She got up and walked to her door, listening for any more activity on the other side. Turning the knob, she opened the door, peeking out. She let out a short gasp when she saw that Kenny was about to enter his apartment. He looked over at her, a sore look on his face. "Hmm." He nodded to Karen.

"K-Ken." Karen swallowed. "H-how was your day?"

"Tiring." He answered. He walked into his apartment and shut the door.

_Oh. _

Kenny slid down his door and sighed, his hands in his face. _I miss her. But I just can't face her right now. I'm a disgrace. _

Karen felt her heart drop. _It's over. _

_This can't be happening. _

_Please, Ken. This rift between us has to end. _


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys. Back with another chapter. I'd like to thank the lovely guest who corrected my grammar on the title. I fixed it! Thanks for the reviews, and if you liked, please review, it helps me continue the story. **

* * *

><p>Ch 14<p>

Kenny almost lost his job again. He showed up to work half an hour late, a sore look on his face. His manager noticed.

"Sorry, I got caught in traffic." Kenny lied.

"Traffic? In South Park?" Rick laughed heartily. "Ken, what's _really_ going on with you?"

"I just…" Kenny trailed off.

"Boy," Rick sighed, pulling him aside. "Tell me what's going on."

"I'm just, not myself lately." Kenny mumbled. "I think I need help, but I don't know how to ask. And Karen…" he trailed off again. Rick raised an eyebrow. "…I feel like we're drifting apart. I feel like I need to be there for her since she just had a miscarriage and-"

Rick cut him off. "Go to her now. She needs you. I'll tell someone you had an emergency and I'll let you off of work for a few days. You need to recuperate, kid. You seem so… detached."

"I feel like it's hard for me to face her now. She's upset with me, I know." Kenny replied. "I am so out of it. I feel bad that I just came back and now I'm leaving again."

Rick put a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Boy, I understand your predicament. Don't feel guilty. You're a hard worker. You just need to recover for a few days."

_I need more than a few days, _Kenny thought bitterly.

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

><p><em>I can't do it. <em>

Kenny stood in front of Karen's door, his hand formed into a fist, about to knock. Kenny was knocked out of his thoughts when a hand brushed against his back. "Hey there, handsome." A devious voice said behind him. Kenny spun around, an annoyed look on his face. Lucy. Kenny groaned inwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Kenny tried not to growl. "Stan said to stay away from us. Especially Karen."

"I was just going to…" Lucy trailed off, eyeing Kenny's bruised cheek. "What happened, darling?"

"I got into… an issue. It's none of your business."

Karen heard the conversation outside as she passed her kitchen. She raised an eyebrow.

"Poor baby…" Lucy cooed, moving closer to Kenny. "I could make you feel better." She grabbed one of his hands. Kenny pulled away.

"Stop, please. I told you I'm not interested." Kenny's voice had a hint of warning in it. Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"You like Karen. I know."

"Then why do you insist on flirting with me still?" Kenny snapped. "Just, leave me alone." Kenny moved to his apartment door, about to go in. Karen opened the door to her apartment, stepping out into the hall.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Karen tried to keep her composure. Kenny turned around to face Karen, his features softening. He looked down, taking his hand off of the door knob. "You've caused enough trouble with us."

"Oh, Care Bear, don't be such a drag." Lucy waved a hand, her eyes closed.

Karen was trembling with rage. She took a deep breath, exhaling. "Leave Ken alone."

"You don't own him, Karen. He's not even your boyfriend. You just fucked him and he left you for a week." Lucy jeered. Karen's face turned a deep shade of red. Kenny couldn't tell if it was humiliation or anger. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassment showing as a light shade of pink on his cheeks.

"You _bitch_…" Karen was fuming now. "You don't know what happened…"

"Neither do you, sweetheart." Lucy raised an eyebrow, smirking. She tapped her foot, looking proud of herself. Karen looked like she was about to throw herself at Lucy. "Kenny, what really happened, my love?"

"That's none of your business." Kenny growled. His hands were shaking slightly.

"Was it because Karen got pregnant and you couldn't take that?" Lucy clasped her hands together and batted her eyes.

"I said it's none of your business!" Kenny shouted, his voice crackling with anger.

Lucy gasped. "So it is. I can see it in your eyes, Kenny."

Kenny narrowed his eyes, balling his hands into fists.

Karen stepped in. "Lucy, just leave. Please. You're upsetting him." In truth, Karen was afraid of how violent Kenny could get in his anger, as she had seen before. "Leave."

"Oh, sweetie, but I was just getting started." Lucy pouted. Her features contorted into a nasty smirk.

"You're a fucking instigator, is what you are." Karen breathed. "Ken, let's go." She grabbed Kenny's hand and willed him into her apartment, shutting the door.

"What, are you going to fuck him some more?" Lucy shouted from the other side. Karen locked the door, covering her face in her hands. She trembled slightly, and Kenny thought he heard her start to cry. She let out a frustrated groan and sighed.

"K-Karen?" Kenny whispered, walking to her. Karen quickly wrapped her arms around Kenny, sobbing into his chest.

"K-Ken, is it true?" Karen said between sobs.

"I-is what true?"

Karen pulled away and looked up at Kenny. "That you left because I was pregnant, and had a miscarriage? That it was too much? And that's why you've been drin-…" Karen cut herself off, swallowing. She looked down, bracing herself for a scolding.

"I didn't leave because of that." Kenny whispered.

"Then what is it, Ken? What is it that you aren't telling me?"

_I wish I could tell you._

Kenny was silent for several seconds, the shadows playing on his face, an unreadable expression. "I'm sorry."

"S-sorry for what?" Karen inquired.

"For everything." And with that, Kenny left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kenny hesitantly knocked on Karen's door. She opened it slowly, peeking out.<p>

"Hey." Kenny smiled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was uh, wondering if you want to go out with me tonight."

Karen opened the door, returning the gesture. "Where to?"

Kenny hesitated, going in for a kiss. Karen looked slightly surprised. She placed a hand on his cheek, kissing him back softly. She pulled away after a few moments, her cheeks a dark shade of pink. "What was that for?" she whispered. Kenny looked at her lovingly. _He's never been this affectionate. _Karen's thoughts echoed. Kenny pulled her into his chest. Karen listened to his heartbeat. Kenny stroked her back. "I love you." He whispered. Karen's heart rate escalated. _He's never said those words to me before._

"I love you too." Karen whispered back.

"I-I want to take you out on a date," Kenny mumbled. "Because I think you deserve it." Kenny felt nervous.

_A date? _Karen's thoughts echoed. "So, what do you think?" Kenny snapped her out of her thoughts.

"That would be lovely." Karen smiled. Kenny beckoned her to the stairs, a hand lightly placed on her back. The two walked down the stairs and into the chilly Colorado night. Karen shivered.

"I've got a hoodie in my car for you." Kenny said. Karen smiled, nodding. Kenny fished out his keys from his jacket pocket and unlocked the door to his car, opening the door for Karen. He helped her inside. Kenny hopped into the driver's seat and started up the engine. He grabbed his orange hoodie from the back seat and handed it to Karen before she buckled up. She slipped it on and smiled.

"I missed this hoodie." She whispered, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"I've been wanting to give it to you." Kenny replied. "I know you like it a lot, so, you know… you can have it."

"Thank you."

Before Kenny pulled out of the driveway, he grabbed Karen's hand carefully. "Are you doing alright? I want to know how you've been feeling."

"I-I'm feeling a lot better." Karen's smile was weak. "It's just… taking time for me to recuperate."

Kenny nodded. "I understand that. I just… I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting. And treating you terribly… I just want you, Karen. I care about you a lot, alright? I don't want you to leave and never talk to me again because of the shitty way I've been treating you." Kenny covered his face in his hands. "God, I've been terrible to all of you…"

"Ken…" Karen swallowed. "It's honestly going to take time for me to… trust you again. I'm still very worried for you. Very, very worried. I was devastated when you left for a week; I thought I would never see you again."

Kenny nodded, his face still buried in his hands. "Of course." Kenny looked up and out the front windshield, observing the clouds of exhaust coming from the running car. "Stan knocked some sense into me." Kenny rubbed his bruised up cheek. It was still pretty swollen. "I needed it."

Karen looked down. She didn't know what to say until moments later. "Yes, y-you did need it."

Kenny's features softened, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I'm glad you agree." He pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

><p>The two arrived at the restaurant, it was nearly packed. Kenny opened the door for Karen and helped her out. He held her hand as they approached the building. Karen squeezed it. <em>I love this. <em>She smiled inwardly. The two were seated and immediately were asked for drinks.

"Can I interest you in some of our fine wines?" the waiter asked.

"No," Kenny said quickly, looking uncomfortable. "No, thank you."

* * *

><p>"You know, I haven't seen Mysterion in a while," Karen said as the two walked back into the apartment. "I still need to thank him."<p>

Kenny shrugged. "Maybe he moved on to another town or something."

Karen looked down. "I sure do miss him."

I _don't. _

"Do you want to, uh," Kenny started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Come to my apartment and… stay with me tonight?"

Karen blushed. "I would love to." she held Kenny's hand as he fished his keys out of his pocket with his free hand. He unlocked the door and beckoned her inside, apologizing for the mess. Karen ignored the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the coffee table in front of the couch. Kenny tried his best to ignore it too. He shed his jacket and threw it over the arm of the couch. Karen kept Kenny's hoodie on. She loved the way it smelled. It smelled like him. Cheap cologne and mechanic grease. Karen wrapped her arms around Kenny. She leaned into his chest and sighed. "I'm tired."

"Me too." Kenny replied drowsily. "Come on, um, let's move to the bedroom."

"I don't have anything to sleep in." Karen frowned.

"You can use one of my t-shirts." Kenny replied. Kenny felt a blush creep on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and looked away. Karen noticed his reaction and giggled. Kenny moved to the bedroom and Karen followed behind. He grabbed a t-shirt from an open drawer and handed it to her. Karen slipped off the hoodie and began to change into the shirt. She turned away from Kenny, embarrassed to show her scar and stitches. Kenny frowned, slightly disappointed that she was turned away from him.

"Well? How do I look?" Karen twirled around to show off her new attire. It was a plain black t-shirt, drifting down to her thighs.

"I think," Kenny came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, closing his eyes. "You look nice." He whispered. "You're beautiful the way you are, no matter what." He was referring to her injury. "So don't be embarrassed." He wrapped his arms carefully around her midsection. He placed his hands on her stomach, kissing her neck. Karen sighed.

"I think you would have…" Karen trailed off, careful of what she said. Kenny still had his eyes closed.

"What, dear?" he whispered. Karen blushed at the word.

"…You would have made a terrific father." She finished.

It had just hit Kenny. _I was going to be a father._

"Well, you would have made an excellent mother." Kenny replied.

"I wasn't ready to become a mother, Ken." Karen whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, back. I will be uploading 2 chapters today (this one and another) because this one is so short. Thanks for all the reviews, please review if you liked it helps me continue the story. Stay awesome!**

* * *

><p>Ch 15<p>

Karen woke up in Kenny's arms. He was embracing her carefully. Karen sat up slowly as Kenny's eyes fluttered open. "Mmmm…" he groaned. "What time is it…?"

Karen removed herself from the bed as Kenny watched her with half opened eyes, walking out into the kitchen. He followed after her. Karen switched on the TV, to the local news. It was in the middle of a news story.

"_Tom, I'm standing outside of the abandoned saw mill here in South Park, where a man was found stabbed ten times in the chest. He has been identified as the man who had attacked the elementary school over a week ago. His name and information will not be released. It is a mystery who attacked this man, but many residents of South Park applaud whoever rid the town of this man." _The news reporter stood in front of the building, pointing to it. The camera cut to a woman who was stating her claims.

"_Well, whoever killed this man should be applauded. I mean, that sounds like a terrible thing to say, but he attacked an elementary school. He harmed an innocent teacher. It's a miracle that he is gone from our town. Our town can finally be at peace again." _the woman explained.

The camera cut to the news reporter again. _"But Tom, there are also people that disagree with the situation." _It cut to an angry man who stated his argument.

"_I think this murderer should be caught and arrested. He is a vigilante who should be punished, no matter what this man did to that elementary school! Equal rights!" _the man shouted at the camera as it panned out. The news story changed to a different report, and Karen turned to Kenny with a look of horror on her face, muting the TV.

"That man…?" she trailed off.

Kenny had a look of guilt on his face. Karen noticed. "Ken, what's wrong?" she broke into his dark thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, it's just… what do you think they should do with the murderer?" Kenny's voice cracked.

"I don't think it's right the way he died, but…" Karen trailed off. "…But he hurt me and almost hurt my children in the classroom. I have… mixed feelings about it."

"Oh." Was all Kenny could say.

"What do you think?" Karen turned to him, sitting on the couch. Kenny took the spot next to her.

"I… well, I'm glad he's gone. He hurt you, Karen. Don't you think you should at least feel a little safer now?" Kenny reasoned. Karen gave him an amused look. "What?" Kenny raised an eyebrow.

"I lived in Denver near Colfax. I think I can handle _one _bad man in South Park." Karen said. Kenny rested a hand on his chin.

"I guess you're right. But… he's gone. Aren't you happy?"

"Sure, but… taking anyone's life, no matter how they are, is wrong, I think."

Kenny swallowed. _I know. _

"What if Mysterion did it?" Karen mused after a few minutes ticked by.

"Huh?"

"Mysterion."

"What about him?"

"Ken, I said, what if Mysterion killed that man?"

Kenny shrugged. "Guess we'll never know. There were no witnesses or fingerprints. It's a cold case."

"I want to ask him." Karen stated.

Kenny frowned. "You don't even know where he is."

"Maybe he'll come to me again."

Kenny rubbed the bracelet on his wrist.

* * *

><p>Kenny stared at his Mysterion uniform hanging in the closet. He had washed it by hand, washing away the physical blood that had corrupted it.<p>

_For Karen._

* * *

><p>Karen woke up to a noise at her window. She sat up, the sheets shuffling around her. "Hmmm…?" she got up, walking to the balcony door, pulling back the curtain. On the balcony, stood a silhouette. Its cape flowed in the wind. "Mysterion?" Karen croaked.<p>

Mysterion walked in as Karen opened the door. "What are you doing here?" Karen whispered.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Mysterion said gruffly. "I heard about the accident."

Karen looked down. "Yes. I… wish you were there."

Mysterion's eyes softened. He took a step closer.

"Can I… see who you are?" Karen inquired quietly. She reached up and was about to pull down Mysterion's hood. He pulled away.

"No." he responded.

"I need to thank you." Karen frowned. She grabbed Mysterion's arm, pulling up his sleeve by accident. Karen noticed it immediately. The orange bracelet she had made Kenny. "K-Ken?" her voice was weak. She felt like she was going to be sick. "Ken, is that you?" she squinted, trying not to topple over. The room felt like it was spinning for Karen with the new information being processed. She fell to the floor on her knees.

"Karen?" Kenny's voice seemed far away. "Are you alright?" he pulled down his hood before Karen's world faded to black.

* * *

><p>Karen woke up several minutes later, in Kenny's arms. "Karen? Karen, talk to me!" Kenny shook her lightly, his mask still covering his eyes. Karen reached up and pulled it away from his face.<p>

"It _is_ you." She murmured. "_You're_ Mysterion."

Kenny's hair brushed over his eyes as he looked down. "Yes."

"_You've_ been protecting me?" Karen's voice was barely a whisper. Kenny nodded.

"I can finally thank you." Karen's smile was weak. She sat up, wincing. She placed a hand on Kenny's cheek and kissed him lightly. "I love you…" she mumbled into the kiss. She pulled away as Kenny kissed back, still feeling dazed.

"I'm sorry I never told you before. I mean, 'Mysterion' _is_ supposed to be kept a secret." Kenny laughed slightly.

"I… honestly had a feeling it was you." Karen smiled slightly, sitting up. "But I wasn't sure."

"Well now you know. I knew I couldn't keep it a secret much longer."

"I would have found out sooner or later."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, back. Thanks for all the reviews, please review if you liked it helps me continue the story. Stay awesome!**

* * *

><p>Ch 16<p>

Snow drifted from the bleak overcast sky. It was Christmas morning. Kenny pulled on a gray sweater and walked out into the hall with a few gifts in his hands, surveying the area. Two weeks had passed since Karen had found out that Kenny was Mysterion. Kenny's father had called him this morning, asking him to come back home for Christmas. It had been over two months since Kenny had seen or spoken to his parents, since his sister's death. He still blamed them. He blamed them for everything. He wasn't ready to face them again. He just hoped things went smoothly.

Karen walked out of her apartment wearing a lavender cardigan and blue jeans, a black striped scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck. "Ready?" she asked; a few gifts in her gloved hands. Kenny nodded, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He locked his door to his apartment as Karen made her way down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Kenny killed the engine as the two pulled up to the shoddy house. It was still as run down as Kenny had remembered. He felt embarrassed as Karen peered at the house, opening her car door and stepping out into the chilly morning. Kenny mirrored her. Kevin; Kenny's older brother, stepped out of the front door, his hair a mess and his face dirty. He wore a worn out red plaid shirt and holey jeans. Kenny waved reluctantly. "Hey, Kev." He called as the two approached the house.<p>

"Who's the girl?" Kevin grunted. He looked Karen up and down. "She's hot. Is she one of your whores?"

Karen's mouth hung open in disbelief. Kenny glared, his eyes burning with anger. "She's my girlfriend, Kevin. Where's dad?" he snapped.

"In the house with mom. They've been fighting all morning." Kevin moved into the house, beckoning the two inside. He snuck a look at Karen's backside and smirked until Kenny caught him and glared with fire crackling in his eyes. The three entered the house to a loud crashing against the wall.

"You piece of fucking shit, why can't you be more respectful?!" Carol screamed, throwing another bottle of empty vodka at the wall. It hit the wall and shattered into sharp fragments. Kenny ducked, Karen covering her ears. Stuart ducked as another bottle flew through the air.

"You dumb bitch, Kenny is here!" Stuart shouted, the commotion stopping on Carol's part. She turned as Kenny stood in the doorway, Karen trembling with her ears covered and eyes closed, her head ducked.

"Who's she?" Stuart asked, his eyebrow raised.

"This is, uh, Karen. She's a good friend of mine." Kenny answered; putting a hand on her back as Karen looked up slowly, removing her hands away from her ears.

"H-Hello." Karen waved slightly, a small smile on her face.

"Karen?" Carol asked, her features softening. Karen nodded. Carol walked up to her and wrapped her arms around Karen, Karen slightly startled. Carol pulled away, a broken smile on her face. "Welcome, dear."

Stuart had an angry look on his face. "You never told me you were bringing someone along, Kenny."

"Sorry, dad. It was kind of last minute." Kenny mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He could tell his father was drunk again. He didn't want any conflict.

"I don't want any of your damn whores around here again, Kenny." Stuart slurred.

"She's my girlfriend, dad!" Kenny's hands where balled into fists. Stuart grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels off of the rickety coffee table and took a long drink of it, swirling around its contents. He sat it back down again and cleared his throat.

"She's one of your whores again, Kenny. I can tell." Stuart looked Karen up and down, glaring. Something in Kenny's brain snapped. He swung a punch at his father, clipping the right side of his face. Karen gasped and stepped back quickly. Stuart regained his balance and grabbed Kenny by the collar of his sweater, pinning him to the wall. The blood roared in Kenny's ears as he braced himself for a blow. "Boy, I swear to god…" Stuart warned.

"Go ahead and punch me…" Kenny growled. "Fucking punch me!"

Karen covered her mouth, her eyes wide as Kenny struggled against his father's grasp. She didn't know what to do. Carol shook her head, her eyes closed. "This happened the last time Kenny was here…" Carol trailed off. "It'll pass."

"You're not going to do anything about it?" Karen's voice was trembling as Carol turned to her.

"It'll pass." Carol repeated.

Stuart lifted his fist as it connected with Kenny's nose; a crack was heard as blood rolled down Kenny's face and dripped into a small puddle on the tiled floor. Karen let out a small cry, her mouth still covered.

"K-Ken!" Karen cried. "Let him go!"

"It's your fault Karen is dead!" Kenny yelled, his voice slightly muffled as he covered his nose. Pain surged through Kenny as he grunted.

Stuart's eyes grew wide with anger. "Say that again?"

"You're the reason she killed herself!" Kenny shouted. "She's dead because of you!" blood continued to roll down Kenny's face.

Stuart gritted his teeth, going in for another punch. He punched Kenny in the right eye, continuing to dish out punches as Kenny fell to the floor, hunched over, coughing. Bruises formed on his face.

"Stop!" Karen shouted. Kenny got up quickly, having more coordination than his father, backed him into a wall and started to dish out punches left and right. The black eye on Kenny's right eye hindered his coordination as he punched his father square in the nose. Karen tried to interfere, grabbing Kenny's arm and trying to pull him away from the conflict. "Stop, Ken!"

Kenny shoved her away as he went in for another punch, elbowing Karen in the chest. Karen stumbled backwards. Karen grabbed his arm again, trying again to pull him away. She felt his muscles tense. Kevin stepped in, acting like it was a normal occurrence; and hooked his arms around Kenny's midsection, pulling him away. Karen clasped her hands together, trembling.

"Get out of here!" Stuart shouted, covering his own nose. Blood gushed from both men's noses as they stared each other down. "Get out, Kenny! You and your whore too!"

Kenny roughly pulled himself away from Kevin as he grabbed Karen by the arm and led her to the door. "Let's go." His voice was muffled and gruff. He slammed the door as Stuart shouted obscenities in the two's direction. Kenny leaned against the door as he closed his eyes. "Fuck…" he took a deep breath, exhaling. Karen led him to the car, opening the door for him. He hopped inside, fishing his keys from his pocket. His vision was terribly blurred now, his right eye swollen shut. And the blowing snow wasn't helping either.

"Ken-" Karen started, but Kenny cut her off sharply.

"Don't." he breathed. His hands were trembling now. Kenny placed his hands slowly on the steering wheel, breathing heavily.

"Why? Why did you have to start a fight?" Karen whispered. Kenny turned to her.

"Me?" Kenny growled, blinking with his one good eye. He started the engine with trembling hands, his vision blurring. He squinted.

"You had to go and throw the first punch, didn't you?" Karen's voice was condescending.

"I wasn't going to sit back and listen to him call you names!" Kenny's voice rose. He pulled out of the driveway.

"Calm down, Ken." Karen whispered. Kenny gripped the steering wheel, visibly shaking.

"Shut up." Kenny snapped. He pulled out into the road, squinting hard to focus his vision. His bleeding nose had slowed to a trickle now, blood smeared underneath it. He had a cut above his left eye. All he could smell was blood.

"Don't tell me to shut up." Karen snapped back.

"Karen, just, please!" Kenny growled. He turned to her, glaring.

"Ken-!"

"What?!"

"Watch out!"

Kenny had veered off of the road and the world seemed to stop spinning in that moment. The tree came up fast. It was instant. Kenny felt his seatbelt catch him, but it was too late. He felt his world fade to black and then a loud scream pierced his ears.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, I'm back. sorry for the delay. Hope you like this one. Thanks for all the reviews! Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. **

* * *

><p>Ch 17<p>

Kenny's eyes fluttered open. The darkness flooded around him.

_Here I am again._

_Haven't been here in a while. _

Mist surrounded Kenny in a dark room, a single chair in the corner. He sat up, rubbing his forehead. The bruises were gone. Previous injuries always disappeared when Kenny entered the plane.

_It looks different every time I come here. _

Last time the plane looked like a bright room with white walls, nothing was in the room but a locked door. Kenny was always the only one in the plane. Instead of going to Heaven or Hell, Kenny appeared in a separate plane than everyone else who died. It was a special plane reserved for him. The ones who couldn't die.

"Ken." A voice whispered from a corner of the room. Kenny squinted, his heart racing.

"Who's there?" Kenny breathed. His breathing stalled as a dark figure appeared from the mist.

"Just me." It was Karen. Kenny rubbed his eyes.

"Karen?!"

She approached him slowly, messing with her side ponytail. Kenny could tell she was nervous.

"Am I just imagining you?" Kenny whispered, reaching out to touch her. He could barely see her in the blackness of the room.

"No, I'm here. There are some things I need to explain to you." Karen smiled slightly. "I'm…" she trailed off.

"You're what?" Kenny asked in a low whisper.

"I'm just like you. I can't die."

Kenny's heart leapt in his chest. "What?"

There was a silence. Kenny could hear water dripping; he noticed a puddle on the floor under his feet.

"…Then why have I never seen you here before?" Kenny inquired, intrigued.

"I've always died at different times than you, I guess." Karen answered quietly. "I've never seen you here before. I thought I was the only one like this until I met you. When you told me you couldn't die, I didn't believe you. And now we die at the same time, and now, here you are."

"I thought I was the only one like this." Kenny whispered. "This is all too much to take in at one time. But I'm glad it's like this, in some way. I would be devastated if I lost you."

Karen smiled, closing her eyes. She grabbed Kenny's hands, pulling him into a hug. "We should be leaving here soon." She whispered into his ear. Kenny relaxed, closing his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Kenny asked.

"I guess I was waiting for something like this to happen." She answered.

"And I'm sorry it had to happen like this."

Suddenly a bright light blinded the two. Kenny squinted as the room was illuminated brightly, and then everything was swallowed into blackness again.

* * *

><p>"Kenny? Kenny!" growled a voice. "I told you to get out of here!"<p>

Kenny gasped for air as he opened his eyes, blinking with his one good eye. The bruises were back.

"Snap out of it!" Kenny's father shouted. "Now leave!"

_I appeared in the last place I was before I died._

"We were just leaving." Kenny whispered, lightly grabbing Karen's arm. He led her to the door, opening it and slamming it behind him.

"And don't come back!" Stuart shouted at the door. Kenny closed his eyes, leaning against the door for a brief moment.

"Let's go." Kenny whispered to Karen.

* * *

><p>The two returned to the apartment building. Karen asked Kenny to come to her apartment.<p>

"What is it you want to show me?" Kenny asked as Karen unlocked her apartment door.

"You'll see."

The two entered the apartment, Karen shedding her sweater. Kenny did the same. She led Kenny to her bedroom. Karen moved to her closet, opening it. She pulled a big box out from the back of the closet. "This is what I wanted to show you." She opened the box, beckoning Kenny to look inside.

"Are those… newspapers?" he asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yes." Karen answered. Kenny reached into the box, pulling out a clipping. He read the headline. It was an obituary.

"_Karen Bruhn, loving daughter and friend."_ Kenny read aloud. He pulled out another clipping, and another. The box was full of them.

"Is this the box that I carried into your apartment when you moved in?" Kenny asked, shuffling through the clippings. Karen nodded.

"Karen, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"I don't mind."

"Where are your parents?"

Karen looked down, a dark look crossing her face. Kenny frowned.

"You don't have to answer me." Kenny whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I lost contact with them long ago. They live somewhere in Denver, is all I know."

Kenny's features softened.

"I've moved so many times to get away from them. My father was abusive; I finally got away from him. But I still love him. He's a lot like your father… I had a flashback when your father started calling me names. And the bottles crashing…" she looked over at a photo hanging on the wall. "But those people on that photo over there," Karen began, sighing. "Those where my foster parents. I still have contact with them. They are good people. Child protective services took me away when I was eight years old and put me with them." she smiled slightly.

"Mmm…" Kenny frowned. "That happened to me too when I was nine years old. I got put into a foster home in Greeley. But I was returned to my parents shortly after. I wish I wasn't. My father just got more and more violent as the years went on."

"We have so much in common, Kenny." Karen whispered. "Too bad it's negative things."

Kenny touched his fingers to his swollen eye. "Yeah…"

"Let me get you an icepack." Karen got up and walked to the kitchen and to the fridge, pulling ice out of the freezer and into a bag. She handed it to Kenny, who walked into the kitchen behind her. "Here."

"Thanks." Kenny placed the icepack on his eye, wincing. "I…" he trailed off. "I shouldn't have started that fight. I was trying to protect you."

"I'm sorry I blamed you for it." Karen whispered.

"It's happened so many times before. I guess he broke my nose this time." Kenny moved to a small mirror on the wall, looking into it. He didn't know how bad it was until he saw it himself. "Jesus… he really fucked me up this time…" dry blood smeared under his nose. He moved to the kitchen sink, splashing water on his face. Blood swirled down the drain. "It really hurts." Karen walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. She leaned her head into his back. "Sometimes I believe I deserve pain." Kenny whispered, closing his eyes.

"Hey…" Karen willed Kenny to turn around, placing a hand on his cheek. "You don't deserve this. At all." She frowned. "I just want to make you feel better. Without you hurting yourself, or getting into things that hurt you more than help you."

"You always make me feel better." Kenny mumbled. He looked down, a look of guilt on his face. "I want to know how you're feeling. Are your stitches healing?"

Karen's features softened. "Yes. It's taking a while for them to heal."

Kenny pulled Karen closer to him. "I love you." He whispered. "I'm sorry I've been…" he trailed off. "Terrible." He finished. "I feel like I'm becoming my father. And it's a terrible feeling."

"You are nothing like your father, Ken." Karen swallowed.

"But the drinking, the yelling and fighting…" Kenny trailed off, looking away. "I feel like it's getting out of control."

"But we can fix that."

* * *

><p>Kenny had returned to his own apartment.<p>

There was a knock at the door. Kenny moved to it, opening it. Stan and Kyle stood in the doorway. "Hey, dude, Merry Christmas-" Stan started, his mouth slightly open at the sight of Kenny's bruised up face. "What the fuck happened?! Are you okay?"

"My father." Kenny replied plainly.

"Your father did this to you?" Kyle's voice was disbelieving. Kenny nodded.

"Why, dude?" Stan frowned, worry evident on his face.

"He was badmouthing Karen. I… took the first punch."

"Jesus, dude… is your nose broken?" Stan asked.

"Yea, it's no big deal. I got in a fight with him when my sister died too. He's getting worse, so I'm staying away from him for a while." Kenny rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling. "But it kinda hurts." It was worse than Kenny put it out to be, he needed something to dull the pain. Drinking came to mind. He shook off the feeling.

"Dude, you need to call the cops on him." Kyle reasoned.

"No, that will only make things worse." Kenny replied.

Stan's features softened. "Well, you better rest up… no offence dude, but you look terrible."

"Thanks…" Kenny grumbled.

* * *

><p>Karen had returned to her apartment after some convincing from Kenny that he was going to be okay. He sat on the couch, staring at the bottle of Jack Daniels. He held an icepack to his eye.<p>

_No. _

Kenny snatched it up, swirling its contents. Memories flashed in his mind; his father drunk on the same liquor he was about to consume.

_I can't do this._

_It'll help the pain._

The glow of the TV illuminated the dark room as Kenny contemplated silently.

_Just enough to dull it. _

Kenny took a long drink and sighed.

_That's all I need. Maybe a little more to help me sleep._

Another long drink.

_That's enough._

Another.

_That's enough!_

The taste was addicting to Kenny. Bittersweet. He closed his eyes as he fell asleep, the bottle still in his hand.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys, back! Hope you like this one. Thanks for all the reviews. please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. **

* * *

><p>Ch 18<p>

Kenny's alarm went off inches from his ear. He groaned and rolled over to check the time. 8:45 AM. At least he was on break for another day until he had to return to work. He sat up, rubbing his forehead.

_This has to stop._

_You've said this many times before._

_I know._

He had dreamed about his sister last night. She was calling out to him; tears in her eyes. She was apologizing for what she had done.

"_I'm sorry, Kenny. I'm sorry you are hurting over this, it's my fault. Please don't get into fights with dad anymore. It worries me." _The words echoed in his mind. _"I love you. I'll be watching over you, just as you had done for me." _

Kenny frowned. _I miss you, Karen._

A knock at the door startled him. Kenny got up, shuffling to the door. He opened it slowly, peering out. It was Karen. "Hi, Ken." She smiled slightly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Just really sore." The swelling in his right eye had gone down some, allowing him to open it enough just to see. But everything was blurry.

"Your eye looks a little better. The swelling is going down." Karen commented.

"I iced it before I went to bed." Kenny's hair was messier than usual, but she noted that he looked worried, dark circles under his eyes. He was slightly pale, too.

"You don't look so good…" Karen whispered.

"I'm fine." Kenny smiled slightly, his eyes half open. "I just need to rest for a while."

"I'm sorry I bothered you." Karen frowned, a look of guilt crossing her face.

"You didn't bother me; my alarm woke me up earlier."

"Oh, good…" Karen trailed off as she noticed the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor next to the couch. She frowned. Kenny swallowed, following her gaze.

"I just…" Kenny trailed off. "…Had a little bit last night. To help the pain." He finished.

"I'm worried about you, Ken." Karen whispered.

"Don't be worried."

Karen clasped her hands together. "Please, is there anything I can do to help you?"

_I think I'm addicted. _Kenny wanted to say. "No." Kenny sighed.

"Maybe there's something else you can do to relieve your stress." Karen reasoned.

"Like what?"

Karen frowned, putting a finger on her chin, looking up. "I'll think of something."

* * *

><p>Kenny stared behind the counter of the convenience store.<p>

"Can I help you with something?" asked the store clerk, snapping Kenny out of his thoughts.

"Oh, uh…" Kenny put a bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter and pulled out his wallet. "Do you need an ID?"

"Yes sir."

Kenny showed the clerk his ID. He grabbed the bag and walked out the door. Stan was standing outside.

"What are you doing?" Stan asked.

"Did you follow me here?" Kenny raised an eyebrow.

"No, I was just…" Stan trailed off. "Alright, alright. I did. Karen told me to."

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "What, she doesn't trust me?"

"Obviously not." Stan crossed his arms.

Kenny sighed, his breath showing in the chilly Colorado night air. Stan put his hands in his jacket pockets. "So?" Stan asked. "Are you going to give that to me?"

"No." Kenny lifted up the bag. Stan already knew what was inside.

"Dude…" Now it was Stan's turn to sigh. "We're worried about you."

"Why? There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm worried…" Stan trailed off, looking down. "You're going to get alcohol poisoning. You're drinking too much."

"Who's to say that?" growled Kenny. "You don't know how much I've been drinking."

"You're right, I don't." Stan frowned. "But I have a clue, dude. We want to help you."

"Why? Why does everyone care so much as to why I've been drinking?"

"Because we care about you. And Karen is really worried. She still wonders why you left for a week."

Kenny hesitated for a moment. "That's for me to know." His eyes darted to the ground. "I gotta go." He moved to his car, unlocking the door. Stan moved to him. He blocked the way to the driver's side door.

"Not until you give me that alcohol." Stan said. Kenny narrowed his eyes.

"I need it. It's for the pain."

"Physical or mental?" Stan tapped his foot on the ground. He reached for the bag. Kenny pulled away.

"Do you really want to cause a scene, Stan? Just let me go."

"Give it to me!" Stan reached for the bag again. Kenny shoved him, almost knocking him down.

"Fuck off!" Kenny snapped.

Stan glowered. "Fine, if that's how it's going to be, then I'll just let you die from alcohol poisoning! Do what you want!" Stan cursed as he walked to his own car, kicking a rock in the process, fishing out his keys with a trembling hand. He unlocked the door, hopping inside, slamming the door. Kenny could feel several eyes staring in his direction. He hopped in his own car, throwing the bag in the passenger's seat, starting the engine. It stalled for a moment, and Kenny pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

><p>Karen reluctantly knocked on the door to Kenny's apartment. She was worried he was drunk again; Stan had told her what had happened. She sighed when she heard the door unlock. "Yeah?" Kenny looked exhausted.<p>

"Ken? Can I come in?"

"What are you doing up so late?" Kenny's words were slightly slurred.

"I could ask you the same thing." Karen frowned.

"Come in, then." Kenny motioned her inside.

"Ken-"

"You had Stan spy on me, didn't you?" Kenny cut her off sharply. He backed into a wall for support. Karen looked down.

"I was worried for you. And I have every right to be."

"I'm not even drunk." Kenny stared at Karen lazily. "Well, maybe a little." He shrugged.

"It doesn't look like a little." Karen whispered. Kenny picked up the bottle from the coffee table, taking a long drink.

"Like it matters if I die from alcohol poisoning. I can keep doing it over and over and it won't have any effect."

"It hurts me to see you this way! Why do you keep doing this to yourself?!"

"Because I _can_." Kenny took another long drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Karen was about to snap. She took a deep breath, sighing heavily, her eyes closed. "I love you so much, Ken. I can't let you do this to yourself anymore."

"You can't stop me." Kenny growled.

"Is it because of what your father has done to you? What makes you do this to yourself? I want to know!" Karen's voice wavered.

Kenny didn't want to admit the truth. But his father _was _part of it. His sister's death, too. He blamed himself for part of it as well.

"I miss my sister." Kenny narrowed his eyes. "I feel like it's my fault she's dead. If I would have saved her from that house, she wouldn't be dead." Tears threatened to well in his eyes. He took another long drink, looking down, swirling the bottle's contents. "Just fuck off and leave me alone."

Karen's mouth was slightly open, a look of hurt on her face. "I understand you're hurting, Kenny. But you're pushing everyone who loves you away." Her voice wavered.

"This is all I need now." Kenny swayed drunkly, taking another drink. Karen narrowed her eyes, walking quickly up to him, grabbing him by his shirt and pushing him further into the wall, she raised a hand, her face contorted into a look of anger and hurt, along with frustration. Her hand trembled.

"I want to hit you so hard right now." She breathed angrily. "Knock some sense into you."

"Fucking hit me, then."

Karen's eyes filled with tears, her grip was tight around the collar of Kenny's shirt. She surveyed his bruises. "I guess your father didn't hit you hard enough to do it for me." The thought escaped her. The shadows played on Kenny's face, an unreadable expression on his features. He grabbed her wrist that was raised to hit him and squeezed it hard, earning a startled cry from Karen.

"Well?"

"P-please don't hurt me, Ken…" Karen whispered, trying not to show she was in pain. "I'm sorry…"

"Do it!" Karen trembled when Kenny shouted loudly. She closed her eyes.

"P-please…" Karen's face showed a mix of fear and worry. "I love you, Kenny…" Kenny tightened his grip. "Please, stop! You're hurting me!"

"Let her go, Kenny." A voice growled from behind Karen. Kenny squinted in the dark, the silhouette illuminated by the glow of a lamp coming from Kenny's bedroom. Kenny recognized the figure and voice to be Stan's. He stepped into the light, an angry look on his face. His eyes were wide. He raised a hand, slowly, an object in it. "Step away from her now." His hand trembled as he pointed a gun in Kenny's direction. "I warned you so many times now. I will protect Karen with my life."

Kenny pushed Karen out of the way, knocking her to the ground. He walked up to Stan, a small smile playing on his lips. "Shoot me." He grabbed Stan's wrist that was holding the gun and pressed the barrel against his forehead. "Shoot me, you mother fucker."

Stan's arm trembled, his expression unreadable. Kenny felt Stan's muscles tense. His eyes darted from Kenny to Karen, uncertainty written on his face. His breathing quickened. "Don't make me do this, Kenny."

Voices filled the hall, some complaining about a noise complaint and some voices seemed worried, they mixed together, in one big mess of words.

"Put the gun down, Stan!" Karen pleaded. She was mostly worried for Stan in the moment; if people saw that he had a gun, the police would be called to take him away. Stan's arm trembled harder now, his eyes wide. He pointed the gun at Kenny's chest.

"I'm sorry, Kenny." Stan had tears in his eyes. The gun trembled in his hand. He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. All Kenny heard was a gunshot and then his world faded to black.


	19. Chapter 19

**Heya, everyone. Back. Hope you like this chapter. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all the reviews!**

* * *

><p>Ch 19<p>

Kenny gasped for air, his eyes shot open, darting around. He sat up quickly, looking around. The plane looked different this time. It was a small area that looked kind of like Starks Pond, a small boat in the middle of the pond. He stood up, dusting off the foliage and dirt from his clothing. Mist surrounded Kenny. It was hard to see in.

"Well, well." Said a gruff voice behind him.

Kenny spun around, his eyes wide. "Who's there?"

"We meet again, pretty boy." A figure emerged from the fog.

_What the fuck?_

"You…" Kenny trailed off, his hands balled into fists. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been here for a while." A sly grin spread across Travis' features. "I am the Third. You thought you and your bitch of a girlfriend were the only ones with this power?"

Kenny's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. "How?"

"The same reason you don't know. Why does this happen to us? It's a mystery, really." Travis' features contorted into a smirk.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_What is that noise?_

"Do you hear that?" Kenny breathed, keeping his distance from Travis.

"Hear what?" Travis raised an eyebrow.

"That beeping noise."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"See, there it is again!" Kenny spun around, looking up at the bleak cloud covered sky.

"Ignore that for a moment." Travis growled. He seemed he was growing impatient. "You wanna know how you have this power? I may be the one to tell you." He walked closer to Kenny, Kenny taking a small step back, standing his ground. His curiosity peaked.

"How would you know?" Kenny raised an eyebrow, letting down his guard slightly.

"You see, I was given this power. My father was the Cult leader for the Cult of Cthulhu. He knew the dark secret. He knew the secret to ultimate power. He found a way to harness this power." A sly smile spread across Travis' features. "And well… you… you, you, you." He pointed at Kenny, laughing slightly. "You got lucky. You were born with it. I had to be killed to be given this power. Resurrection is a bitch, aint it?"

Kenny glowered.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Kenny's ears started to ring.

"What about Karen?" Kenny questioned, intrigued now. "How did _she _get this power?"

"I was getting to that!" Travis snapped. "As for your girl, she was cursed. Her biological parents worshiped Cthulhu. They-"

Kenny gasped as a bright light illuminated the sky. It pierced the blackness, swallowing everything in its wake. "Wait!"

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

* * *

><p>Kenny couldn't see. Something was covering his eyes. He tried to move his arms, but with no luck. The beeping noise was faster now; it was almost deafening. It felt like something was stuck down Kenny's throat; he tried to cough it up, but to no avail. He balled his hands into fists. That was the only thing he could move. His body was terribly numb.<p>

"Nurse, he's responding!" the voice seemed so far away.

"Wh-wha…" Kenny tried, but someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't try to talk, hon, it's going to be alright." It was that voice again.

* * *

><p>Stan sat in a cell, his hands trembling, covering his face. He heard jangling; he slowly removed his hands away from his eyes. Stan looked exhausted and mortified. "We told you that you only had to be here until the evidence was processed. You pleaded self-defense. Your friend just woke up from his comma." An officer stated as he opened the cell. Stan had gone to a court hearing a day before and had to wait in the county jail until the evidence was processed. Stan stood up, his hair in his face. A small smile etched on his features.<p>

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Kenny breathed heavily; he felt he was stripped of his shirt; it was so soaked with blood that they had to cut it off of him. A bandage was wrapped around his chest in place of it. There was a terrible pain in his chest, but it felt so numb. "Remove the tube, nurse." The same female voice from earlier. Kenny coughed as the tube was removed, his gag reflexes activating. His body racked with coughs. He tried to grab his chest, but something was binding him down.<p>

"Wh-where's… K-Karen…" Kenny managed to get out.

There was a blinding light as the cover was removed from Kenny's eyes. He blinked, his eyes readjusting to the harsh light above. "It's going to be okay, hon." A voice said from beside him. The nurse again.

"I want Karen." Kenny's voice was clearer now. "I want her now."

Footsteps sounded from out in the hall, they stalled for a moment before walking in. "Hey, Kenny."

Kenny tried to sit up, forgetting about the straps binding him to the bed. "Who's there…?"

"Stan." Said the voice.

Kenny fought against the straps holding him down. "You dare come here…" he growled, regaining his voice. "You have some nerve, you know!" he almost shouted, his voice weak. Stan took a step back. The nurse left.

"It was self-defense, dude. You were about to hurt Karen, or even worse, you could have ended up killing her."

"I would never have done that! I love her more than anything!"

"You need help."

"Don't tell me what I need!" Kenny's voice had regained, he shouted angrily, his voice crackling with fury. "Nurse! NURSE!" someone came rushing in as she saw Kenny gritting his teeth, seething with rage, fighting against the straps holding him down. "Get him out of here!"

"Come on, Stanley, Kenny needs his rest." Said the nurse. She looked very worried, slightly startled. She had seen this kind of activity from previous patients, so it didn't phase her much.

"I was only there to help you, Kenny!" Stan shouted after Kenny as the nurse pulled him out. Another set of footsteps clicked down the halls and into the room. There was an exchange of voices and then the door closed. The footsteps got closer. Kenny's breathing quickened. His eyes darted around.

"W-who's there…" he breathed, swallowing.

"Don't breathe so hard. It'll only make the pain worse." It was Karen's voice.

"Karen?" Kenny couldn't look over at her as he was lying on his back. She moved in his line of sight.

"It's me." She whispered. Her curly raven hair was a mess; she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Dark circles ringed her eyes. She smiled slightly, closing her eyes. "Nothing to worry about, dear." She grabbed one of Kenny's hands, uncurling his fingers.

"How long…" Kenny trailed off, his breathing slowing. "Has it been since I…"

"It's been a week."

Kenny's eyes widened. "W-what?"

Karen leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead, brushing away his hair. Kenny relaxed. "They took the bullet out of your chest the minute you got here, Stan has…" she trailed off as she saw Kenny's eyes narrow.

"I never want to see him again." Kenny whispered lowly.

Karen ran her fingers through Kenny's messy blond hair, trying to calm him. "I know it was wrong of him. He-"

"He shot me!" Kenny startled Karen when he shouted. Karen closed her eyes, sighing slightly. She leaned down and kissed him softly, hoping it would take his mind off of things. She felt him breathing heavily. Karen pulled away. "He shot me…"

There was a short silence.

"I deserved it." Kenny's voice was shaky, tears threatening to roll down. "After what I did to you, I really do deserve it, Karen."

Karen swallowed, worry evident on her face. "No you don't, Ken."

Kenny nodded. "Mhhm."

"We… got you help, Kenny. When you get discharged from the hospital. We set up so you can go to these meetings-"

Kenny sighed, his chest heaving. "I don't need help."

"Please, Kenny. At this rate, I'm so worried for you. We can't keep going on like this. Do this. For me, at least."

"Kenny?" a familiar voice stammered. "My baby…"

Karen looked up as a figure approached the bedside, Kenny momentarily blinded by the light before this unknown person came into focus. "M-mom?" Kenny managed to get out. His eyes darted around, trembling slightly. _I'm more worried if dad came with her._

"My baby Kenny…" Carol whispered as she placed a hand on his cheek, kissing his forehead. He winced as she brushed up against his bruised face.

"Where's, uh…" Kenny trailed off as he saw a shadowed figure at the threshold of the door from the corner of his eye. He swallowed.

"He's here, too." Carol frowned, referring to Kenny's father. Kenny closed his eyes, sighing quietly. "I had to force him to come." She whispered, ruffling Kenny's unruly blond hair.

_That makes me feel better._

"They say the bullet nearly missed your heart." Carol broke into Kenny's thoughts. "I-I'm so glad…" she trailed off, her hair hanging in her face. "…my baby is safe." Sniffing, she pulled away. Kenny's breathing stalled as his father approached the bed, a look of disdain on his face. Kenny looked away, his eyes narrowed. Stuart hovered for a few moments, looking like he was about to speak, but thought otherwise. Then the footsteps disappeared down the hall. "He really does care, Kenny." Carol whispered. "He just doesn't know how to show it very well."

A nurse walked in and shooed everyone out for the time being. She went over Kenny's medical records for him as he nodded along. She removed the straps binding him to the bed as Kenny sat up, stretching. He hissed at the pain surging in his chest. "I'll let you go home today, Kenny. If you can promise me that you'll change your dressing every two hours." The nurse reasoned. Kenny nodded.

* * *

><p>Kenny was discharged from the hospital three hours later. Karen held his arm to steady him and lead him into the car. She hopped into the driver's side, starting up the engine. Kenny stared out the passenger's side window. They said nothing to each other on the way back to the apartment building.<p>

"Ken, I need to help you change your dressing." Karen reasoned as Kenny sighed, throwing his jacket on the arm of his couch.

"I'm fine."

"Blood is seeping through." She was right. Blood had started to dot his white t-shirt, staining it.

"I just need a drink."

Karen frowned. "I'll get you a Coke." She moved to Kenny's fridge, taking out a can. She handed it to Kenny as he opened it.

"Thanks." He gulped it down, crushing it in his hand.

"Ken, can we…" Karen trailed off, her eyes showing exhaustion. "It's four in the morning. I'm tired. Can we get your dressing changed and go to bed? Please?"

"Mmmm…" Kenny sighed.

"Please?" she was almost pleading now.

Kenny removed his shirt. He plopped onto the couch as Karen sat next to him, the fresh bandage in her hand, ready to be wrapped around his chest. She carefully removed the old one, dabbing up the blood with a wet dishcloth. Kenny hissed. "Jesus…" he groaned. "Careful…"

"S-sorry." She continued to dab the infected area. "Ken…"

"Hmm?"

"Your first meeting starts tomorrow."

"Meeting?"

"Your AA meeting. You were ordered by court to go for six weeks." Karen frowned, wrapping the fresh bandage around his chest. "Sit up, please." Kenny obliged.

"I don't need to go." Kenny growled, and Karen closed her eyes.

"Ken, stop being like this. I'm sick of it." Karen's hands were trembling now. "Just go to the damn meetings. Do what they tell you to."

"I need a drink." Kenny ignored her every word. The itch was strong now.

_Just walk him through this. _Karen reasoned with herself. She put a hand on Kenny's, biting her bottom lip. "Time for bed."

"I need a drink, Karen." Kenny repeated.

"Come on." Karen stood up, willing Kenny to stand up with her. "I'll even stay here with you." _Because I don't trust you. But I also care. _"You have a busy day tomorrow."


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys, I'm back! I must admit, this was a fun chapter to write. I hope you all like. Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for all of the reviews, they really help. Until next time.**

* * *

><p>Ch 20<p>

"Hey, I'm Kenny…" Kenny almost mumbled, standing up. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down. "I'm twenty-two years old, and I'm… I'm…" Kenny trailed off. The advisor of the group nodded. "…and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi, Kenny." The members of the group greeted in unison.

"Kenny is new to our group. Please welcome him warmly." The advisor cleared his throat. Kenny sat down.

"Hey, man." A voice said from beside him. "It's been awhile." Kenny turned towards the source of the voice.

"Craig?" Kenny's mouth dropped slightly. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Same reason you are." Craig had a small smile on his face, nudging Kenny slightly. "How've you been?"

Kenny shrugged. "Neither here nor there…" He trailed off as he surveyed his former friend, frowning slightly. Craig had messy black hair, a snakebite piercing on his bottom lip and a cross necklace around his neck. It dangled when he bent over to pick up something he'd dropped. He wore a grungy blue plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves and holey blue jeans. His eyes were dark from apparent lack of sleep.

"Interesting finding you here, though. I'd always seen you being the more successful out of your two siblings, n-no offence of course." Craig caught Kenny staring and he frowned. "You alright?" Kenny tried not to realize that Craig had been eyeing his bruised up face.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Uh, how long have you been going to these meetings?" Kenny asked as Craig ran a hand through his hair.

"Two years, I think?" Craig placed a finger on his chin, looking up. "Yeah, that sounds right."

Kenny frowned. "This is obviously my first day."

"You'll get used to it." Craig promised.

* * *

><p>"How was your meeting, Ken?" Karen asked as Kenny walked into his apartment, jumping as he switched on the light.<p>

"Jesus, Karen." Kenny's heart leapt in his chest. "You nearly scared me to death…"

"S-sorry." Karen got up from the couch, walking to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, Kenny relaxing slightly. She pulled away, placing a hand on his cheek. "Well?"

"My friend from elementary school was there." Kenny frowned, looking down. Karen had an expression to match Kenny's.

"O-oh…"

"We had a nice chat though. Turns out he's been going to these meetings since he was twenty." Kenny laughed slightly. "But he's been drinking since he was fifteen."

Karen couldn't think of anything to say. "I-I'm glad you have someone there you know. Even if it is in this circumstance."

Kenny nodded. He moved to the fridge, opening it. Karen saw his muscles tense. "Oh."

"W-what's wrong?" Karen asked.

"Nothing." He grabbed a Coke out of the box and opened it. "You want one?"

"S-sure."

Kenny grabbed another can and moved to her, patting a spot on the couch next to him as he sat down. Karen sat next to him. "Hmmm…" Kenny sighed, taking a sip of his drink. He handed Karen hers.

"I-I got rid of it all, Kenny. So you don't have to worry about it. And I'll be with you every time you go to the store. I was told to watch you closely." Karen looked down, messing with a loose string on her sweater.

"That's fine." Kenny's tone of voice was calm but with a hint of warning. Karen swallowed. There was a knock at the door. Kenny frowned, getting up from his spot and moving to the door, unlatching the lock. Karen could just barely see who was at the door as Kenny cracked it open slightly. "Dad?" came Kenny's voice.

"Your mother told me you were going to be a father." Stuart grunted, a beer in his hand. Kenny's eyes trailed to the can in his father's hand.

"Why are you here?" Kenny tried to contain a growl. Stuart hesitated. He eyed Kenny's bruises on his face, and Kenny thought he saw guilt flash in his eyes momentarily. Karen startled Kenny as she placed a hand on his shoulder from behind him.

"Can we help you, Mr. McCormick?" Karen asked politely. Stuart's eyes surveyed the girl in front of him.

"She don't look pregnant." Stuart ignored her.

"Just leave." Kenny snapped. "Now." He looked like he was about to slam the door in his father's face. Stuart hesitated again, a look of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Wait, Ken." Stuart said, taking a long sip of his drink. "I'm…"

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm sorry." Stuart mumbled.

Kenny was in disbelief. "What was that?"

"Don't make me repeat it!" Kenny's father snapped.

"Alright, bye." Kenny shut the door on him, locking the door.

"Ken…" Karen frowned, rubbing his back. Kenny had a dark look cross over his face.

"What did he _really_ want from me?" Kenny's voice was low.

"Maybe just that. He wanted to apologize." Karen reasoned.

"He's trying to spite me." Kenny growled. He began pacing the room. "He's planning against me."

_That's the paranoia setting in. _Karen thought darkly.

Kenny's phone began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket, frowning. He answered it. "Huh?"

"_Hey man, it's Craig. You wanna hang out for a bit?" _

"Hey. Uh, sure. Let me just…" Kenny trailed off as he glanced over at Karen.

"Who is that?" Karen frowned.

"My buddy Craig from elementary school. He was the guy that I told you we talked at the meeting." Kenny answered, covering the receiver with his hand. "He wants to hang out for a little."

Karen crossed her arms. "Do I need to be with you?"

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a child, Karen."

"I was told to watch you like one."

Kenny sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, where do you want to meet? Denver?! I don't have enough fuel to get me there! O-oh… you'll pick me up. Alright. See you then, dude." And with that, Kenny hung up the phone.

Karen gave Kenny a look. "What?" Kenny asked.

"Denver?" she asked, a look of worry crossing over her face. Kenny nodded.

"Not sure where or why, though." Kenny rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's a three hour drive! I'm not letting you go there. You need to stay closer." Karen clasped her hands together.

"Fine." Kenny growled. "I'll talk him into going to Stark's Pond or something."

There was a knock at the door. Kenny opened it as Craig was pulling his hand away. "Hey, man." He smiled slightly. He had a calm demeanor about him; his eyes looked even darker than they were that morning. He wore the same clothes as at the meeting. Craig fooled with the necklace around his neck and frowned. "You coming?"

"Yeah…" Kenny trailed off as Karen grabbed his arm.

"Please. Be careful." She warned. Kenny pulled away as he moved out the door, throwing one last look at Karen before closing it.

* * *

><p>Craig flicked the ashes of his cigarette out the window, taking one last drag before dousing it in the ashtray. "Never asked if you wanted one." Craig motioned to the box of cigarettes on the dash of his beat up Ford as he pulled up to the stop light, the engine humming. Classic Rock music played softly in the background.<p>

"Uhhh…" Kenny hesitated.

"You've never smoked, I take it?" Craig let out a short laugh. "It's rough the first time, I'll admit. It really calms you, though. Takes away the stress, you know?"

Kenny grabbed one out of the box, flicking the lighter. It illuminated in the dark of the car as he lit the cigarette, taking a drag. He coughed loudly, Craig patting his back. The light turned green and Craig drove on, laughing slightly. "You'll get used to it."

_I don't think I want to._

"So. Was that your girl behind you in your apartment?" Craig asked, pulling out a new cigarette. He lit it with expertise, taking a long drag and blowing the smoke out the open window. Kenny nodded, taking another short drag. He began another coughing fit. Craig patted his back with the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel. "Ah. She's really cute."

"Y-yeah." Kenny answered between coughs. "Where are we going, anyways?"

Craig pulled up to a building, the shadows playing on his face. He killed the engine, closing his eyes. "Kenny?"

"Yeah?"

Kenny looked up at the building, a bright neon sign casting bright light onto the car. "I don't think I can do this any longer."

"What do you mean?" Kenny turned to his friend, frowning. Craig turned to him, a look of silent distraught on his face.

"I have had the craving to drink for so long now. And when you came along…" he trailed off, smiling slightly. "Now I have someone I can drink with."

"Craig-"

"Kenny, I can't stand this anymore!"

"You've been doing so well, Craig. You've been sober for two years!"

"Drink with me, Kenny?" Craig had a hopeful look on his face. "Just one?"

Kenny put up his hands. "I'm sorry, Craig. I can't."

An unreadable expression crossed Craig's face. "Oh."

Kenny swallowed. He looked up at the neon sign. The word "BAR" was so tempting. He could practically taste the alcohol on his tongue. Kenny hesitated, closing his eyes.

_Karen would be so disappointed in me._

"Alright." Kenny sighed. Craig smiled.

"Great."

The two hopped out of the car, approaching the building. They entered, looking around.

"Uhh, Craig?"

"Yeah, Kenny?"

"What kind of bar is this?"

A busty woman with a done up blonde ponytail walked up to the pair, winking. "Hey, boys. Sit anywhere you like." She placed her hand on Kenny's chest, allowing it to travel lower.

"Woah, uh, please don't." Kenny laughed nervously, grabbing Craig by the arm and quickly moving to a table.

"You got any dollars?" Craig laughed. Kenny glowered. The bar was dimly lit. Several busty waitresses roamed the floor, handing drinks to swooning men.

"Is this a strip bar, Craig?" Kenny hissed.

"It's Colfax, aint it?" Craig laughed harder. He grabbed his sides. Kenny glared daggers.

_I gave this up a long time ago. _Kenny thought bitterly.

"What can I get you two?" a woman asked, her eyes flirtatious. Kenny hesitated. _I can leave now and not disappoint Karen. _Kenny's mind was elsewhere.

"Glass of Jack Daniels, please. On the rocks." Kenny cleared his throat.

"Make that two." Craig grinned. "My man…" he slapped a hand down on Kenny's shoulder and shook him.

"Right away." The waitress winked.

"So." Craig tapped his fingers on the table. "We have a lot to catch up on, Kenny."

"What do you want to know?"

"What have you been up to after, well, elementary school? I haven't seen you since we graduated and went to middle school."

"I, uh…"

Craig raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want you to sit here and listen to my life story, Craig."

"Oh come onnn…" Craig frowned. "I asked."

Before Kenny could speak, the waitress came back with the drinks, placing them in front of the two men. "Anything else, dears?" she squeezed Kenny's leg. Kenny coughed. _Jesus Christ._

"Uh, no, that'll be all for now, thanks." Kenny answered.

Kenny waited for the waitress to leave until he could take a drink out of his glass. He saw Craig hesitate before taking a drink of his. "Mmmm…" Craig sighed. "I missed this. I needed a drinking buddy."

Kenny had finished his in a matter of minutes, and before he knew it, he was on his fifth glass; Craig on his seventh.

"I'm about tapped out, dude…" Craig slurred. He banged a fist on the wooden table. "I want more. Do you have a few bucks?"

"No. I'm out." Kenny's words were almost undistinguishable. "Wait, wait." He fumbled with his wallet, his hands trembling. "Uh… twenty bucks left."

"Great, that'll get us two more, one each." Craig could barely keep his eyes open. "Score…"

"Dude… dude… I think…" Kenny felt the bile rise in his throat as he covered his mouth. "Uhh… we should get a cab. Save this money for it."

"That's gonna cost like… five hundred dollars, bro." Craig laughed; he found that to be the funniest thing he had heard all night. "Fuck the cab. I'll drive."

"No, dude. I'll drive. You're fucking _hammered._" Kenny swayed.

"No _you're _fucking hammered." Craig pushed him lightly.

"Hotel?" Kenny slurred. "I need to make sure Karen doesn't find out about this."

"What, your sister?" Craig laughed.

"No, my girlfriend. The girl that was at my apartment."

"Oh."

"'Scuse me…" Kenny got up, stumbling terribly. "Check please."

Kenny's eyes widened as he looked at the amount he had spent. "Fifty-three dollars?" Kenny gasped. "Oh…" he fished the money out of his wallet, putting it on the table and some odd change.

"Seventy-three." Craig slurred as he placed the money on the table.

"Save this money for a hotel. You'll have to pitch in with your card or something." Kenny mumbled. "There's a hotel literally next door." _The same one I stayed at when I needed to get away. _"I don't have enough for separate rooms."

"That's fine." Craig blinked. The two stumbled out of the bar, walking across the street. "I needed that so bad, Kenny." His voice wavering slightly. "Wait." He stopped Kenny in front of the hotel, smiling. "Thank you." He grabbed Kenny by the shoulders leaning in.

"W-what are you doing?" Kenny stammered.

"Kenny," Craig started. "Just shut up." He leaned closer, kissing him lightly. Kenny gasped as Craig wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him again.

"You're really drunk, dude…" Kenny pulled away, pushing Craig off of him by placing his hands on his chest.

"Drunk enough to kiss you?" Craig's eyes were half open. "If I'm drunk enough now, I want you to know something."

Kenny swallowed. "What?"

"I've had a huge crush on you since elementary school."

Kenny laughed. "Wow, you are really _really _drunk, man."

Craig's features became serious. "I'm serious, dude." He slurred. "Like, I've always wanted to tell you. But I knew you would have hated me for life if I ever did. But I've been hiding it for fourteen years, dude. It's time I told you."

Kenny swallowed. He didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings.

"I'm sorry, man…" Kenny trailed off as Craig looked at him. "I…"

"Please… don't say anything. I already know the answer." Craig's eyes glistened in the dark. "Save your breath."

"But…" Kenny leaned in. "You're a good friend, so I think you deserve this." he kissed Craig as Craig wrapped his arms around Kenny's waist, grabbing the back of his shirt. The two pulled away. "Don't tell anyone about this, alright?"

* * *

><p>Cartman's mouth dropped as he pulled up to the hotel. He needed to bunk there until tomorrow; work was late tonight at "Motivation Corp." and he couldn't get back to South Park until morning.<p>

"Is that… Kenny?" Cartman whispered, killing the engine. "No way…" he rubbed his eyes, making sure what he was seeing in front of him was true. "And… Craig?! Holy shit!" _is Kenny cheating on Karen with him? _Cartman watched as the two moved into their motel room. "This is unbelievable…" Cartman murmured. "I have to tell Karen about this."


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys, back. Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you like this one..**

**Please review if you liked, it really helps me continue the story!**

* * *

><p>Ch 21<p>

Karen was worried sick. She paced the room, her hands clasped together. Stan was trying to calm her down. "I'm sure he just got stuck in traffic." He reasoned.

Karen's phone began to ring. She picked it up with trembling hands. "H-hello?" she answered, her voice wavering.

"_**Karen."**_It was Cartman.

"Yeah?" she frowned. "Eric?"

"_**I just found Kenny." **_

"Where is he?!" She shouted into the receiver.

"_**I found him on Colfax at that shitty motel next to that bar. With… someone."**_

"What?!" _I knew it. _"Who?! That guy he went with?"

"_**Craig."**_

Karen's heart dropped.

"_**They were… kissing. I think they've been drinking."**_

Karen almost dropped her phone. She swallowed, fear and rage built in her chest.

"Thanks for telling me." She hung up the phone as it fell to the floor, cracking the screen. Karen fell to the floor, trembling. She began to sob into her hands. "He can't be helped, Stan. I'm done."

Stan rushed to her, holding her. "It's going to be okay, Karen."

"No it's not!" Karen shouted angrily between sobs.

* * *

><p>Craig sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. "Going out for a smoke, you wanna join?" he asked, turning to Kenny. Kenny nodded.<p>

"Sure."

The two got up, moving to the door. Craig opened it, stepping outside into the chilly night air. He fished the box of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, pulling one out and handing it to Kenny. Kenny nodded his thanks. He cracked the door behind the two, lighting his cigarette and taking a drag. "I'm getting used to it now." Kenny laughed slightly. He swayed drunkly, almost falling over. Craig grabbed him.

"You wanna try… uh…" Craig grabbed Kenny's arm and swung him around to face him.

"Hmm?"

Craig hesitated, taking a drag of his cigarette, flicking some ash onto the ground. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

"No, what?"

"I wish I could get rid of my feelings for you." Craig sighed, finishing off his cigarette and stomping it out. Kenny frowned.

"I don't think I'll have a girlfriend after this…" Kenny rubbed his forehead. "If she finds out about this. I really do love her. We were going to have a kid together."

Craig raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kenny nodded. "She had a miscarriage."

Craig put a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "I'm sorry about that."

Kenny's features softened. "Mmm."

Craig leaned in closer. "Really sorry."

Kenny frowned, stomping out his cigarette. Craig placed a hand on Kenny's cheek. Kenny swallowed. Craig could feel his heart racing. "If things don't work out with her, would you…" Craig trailed off, looking away. "…would you give me a chance?"

"I'm sorry, I-" Kenny started, but Craig pulled him into a kiss. He grabbed the back of Kenny's head, running his fingers through his hair. "Craig…" Kenny mumbled into the kiss. "I can't… I don't… like you in that way… I'm s-sorry…"

Craig pulled away, a look of pleading in his eyes. "Kenny, I… please…"

"I'm sorry." Kenny had a look of guilt on his face. "I really am."

Craig had a small smile on his face. "I…" he started. "One more kiss. Please?"

Kenny hesitated. "I can't. I love Karen."

Craig looked down. "I understand." Craig's heart ached.

Kenny grabbed Craig's hands. "But we can definitely be the best of friends." He smiled. Craig frowned.

_I want more than that. _Thought Craig. _But I'll have to accept this._

Kenny moved to the door of the motel room and opened it, walking inside. He kicked off his shoes, throwing himself on the bed. Craig walked in behind him, shutting the door. Kenny sighed. "Hey, you can take the bed if you want. I'll sleep on that chair." He pointed to an uncomfortable looking chair with an ugly floral pattern. Craig frowned.

"I promise I won't try anything. We can sleep in the same bed."

Kenny hesitated. "Alright."

Craig removed his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed. "Kenny?"

"Yeah?"

"…Never mind."

Kenny removed his shirt, throwing it across the room. Craig eyed him. "What happened, dude?" he was referring to his chest wrap.

"… Mishap. I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, sorry…" Craig mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine." Kenny began to unwrap it, pulling out a fresh bandage from his jacket pocket. "Hey, can you help me out with this, please?"

"O-oh… um…" Craig's face felt hot. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just help me wrap this new one around my chest. I know, the wound is kind of gross looking but it's not contagious, I promise."

_I really want to know what happened. _Craig frowned. He moved to Kenny and grabbed the wrap with trembling hands. Kenny laughed slightly.

"It's alright, man." Kenny smiled slightly. "Just wrap it around."

Craig began wrapping it around Kenny's chest, making sure it wasn't too tight. He fastened it, looking at his handy work. "There."

"Thanks." Kenny sighed. "I'm so tired. Maybe we should get some rest. It's…" Kenny glanced at the wall clock. "One-thirty in the morning." He yawned. Craig nodded as Kenny slipped under the covers. He rolled onto his side facing away from Craig. Craig mirrored him, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off, dropping it on the floor below him. He reached over and turned off the bedside table lamp, the room swallowed into darkness.

"'Night." Craig mumbled. Kenny replied with a grunt.

* * *

><p>Karen pulled up to the dingy motel on Colfax. She killed her engine, rubbing her forehead. Cartman had told her that Craig and Kenny were staying on the bottom floor, room 115. She opened the car door and hopped out, shutting it. Karen wrapped her peacoat snugly around her, frowning at the harsh morning cold. She rubbed her gloved hands together for warmth.<p>

Kenny woke up to Craig clinging to him, his warm body pressed up against his back. "Mmmm…" Kenny sighed, until he realized the position he was in. "Dude!" Kenny shouted, startling Craig awake.

"W-what?!" Craig shouted back, unlatching himself from Kenny, a blush creeping on his cheeks. "O-oh." He swallowed, sitting up. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. A knock at the door startled the two, and they whipped their heads toward the sound.

"I had the no disturb sign up…" mumbled Kenny. He shuffled toward the door, unlocking it and peeking out. "K-Karen?" he swallowed. Karen stood in front of the door, a look of distrust on her face. She had her arms wrapped around herself for warmth.

"I need to talk to you." She mumbled. "Come out here, please."

"Let me get my shirt and jacket on and I'll come out in a bit." Kenny replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, never mind. I'll just come in." Karen pushed her way in, eyeing Craig; who was sat up in the bed, looking down. "It's cold out here."

Kenny swallowed.

"I can't trust you anymore, Ken." Karen's voice wavered, shutting the door. "I don't know what to do anymore." she had tears glistening in her eyes. "First I find you went to a bar, and then I heard you were kissing…" she trailed off as she glared daggers at Craig. "…Craig."

"We were drunk." Kenny murmured. "It meant nothing."

Craig's heart dropped.

"Exactly." Karen paced the room. "I'm just done, Kenny. Done."

"W-what do you mean?"

"What do I _mean?_" Karen stressed the word. "Are you _serious_?"

"Please, Karen…" Kenny had a pleading look in his eyes. "Give me one more chance."

"You don't deserve one."

Kenny's heart leapt in his chest. His mouth felt dry. Craig watched on, a look of guilt on his face. He removed himself from the bed, walking to Karen. "It's my fault." Craig stated, looking down.

"You…" Karen growled. "You dragged him into this mess again. I'm trying to get him better, and I started to see some improvement. Then _you_ come into the fucking picture." Karen was shaking now. She jabbed a finger into Craig's chest. "You." Craig stepped back.

"I'm sorry." Craig whispered.

"Can't change anything now, can we?" Karen swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We can fix this." Craig had a pleading look on his face. "I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I kissed Kenny, I'm sorry I pressured him into drinking with me, I'm sorry for everything. Please…"

Karen turned away. She moved herself to the door, placing a hand on the handle.

"Karen, please. Wait." Kenny regained his voice, moving to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Done." She said plainly.

"Please don't leave me, Karen. I need you." Kenny's voice was unsteady. "I love you."

"Should have thought of that when you broke my trust. Again, and again, and again." she turned around quickly, a look of sheer hurt on her face.

"Karen-" Kenny started, wrapping his arms around her. She pushed him away.

"I love you so much, Ken. That's why I have to let you go."

"Please, Karen! Don't do this to me!" Kenny pleaded, getting down on his knees. He wrapped his arms around her legs, almost in tears.

"I'm sorry, Ken." She whispered, opening the door and walking out, leaving Kenny sobbing on his knees.

"Dude…" Craig mumbled as Kenny stood up, turning to him, his hair in his face. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm really sor-" Kenny cut Craig off with a rough kiss, wrapping his arms round Craig's neck. Craig's eyes widened. Kenny pulled away, a look of utter distraught on his face. His bottom lip quivered.

"I need a drink."

"It's ten in the morning." Craig frowned.

"It hasn't stopped us before, has it?" Kenny growled.

A small smile etched Craig's features. "I guess you're right."

* * *

><p>Karen arrived back at her apartment. Her keys trembled in her hand as she tried to unlock the door. "Ms. Karen?" said a voice behind her. Karen whipped around, her eyes wide. It was Butters. "What's wrong?"<p>

Karen swallowed. "Nothing, Butters." Her smile was broken. "I'm just fine."

"Where's Kenny?"

Karen's features contorted into a depressed look. "He's… away for a while. I don't know when he will be coming back."

Butters frowned. "Oh."

Cartman walked out of the apartment. "Sup, Karen."

"Hey, Eric." She mumbled.

"Kenny coming back? Did you talk to him?"

"Yes. I did. And I'm not sure yet." Karen rubbed her forehead. "I told him that I was done; that I didn't trust him anymore. He didn't take it so well."

"Well, duh. He fucking loves you, dude." Cartman pointed out. "Like, a lot."

Karen felt a lump in her throat.

* * *

><p>Kenny pushed Craig further into the wall, kissing him roughly. The alcohol clouded his judgment. He pulled away, breathing heavily. "I don't want to go back to my apartment." He whispered. "I need someone right now."<p>

"I'm here for you, man." Craig responded lowly. Kenny's features softened, his expression unreadable. He leaned in for another kiss, pressing his hands into the wall, leaning in closer. He pulled away after a few kisses, picking up his bottle of Jack Daniels from the floor next to him, taking a long drink. "Give me some of that." Kenny handed it to Craig, Craig taking a long drink for himself. If Kenny drank enough, maybe he could forget about Karen. He was tunnel vision now. All he could think about was Craig and how good he tasted in the moment. He tasted like cigarettes and alcohol. He didn't care if he didn't have feelings for him. And Craig knew that. Kenny just needed someone right now.

"I really love Karen, Craig." Kenny whispered, close to another kiss. "I need her. I can't live without her."

"I know, Kenny." Craig whispered back, kissing him softly. He placed his hands on Kenny's chest, kissing him again.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you… even though I have no feelings for you? I feel like I'm using you to kill the pain that I'm feeling. I'm… I'm sorry."

"I don't even care." Craig's heart sank; he knew Kenny would never develop feelings for him. But in the long run, he needed to make do of the time he was spending with Kenny, even if he had to pretend that Kenny had feelings for him. "I love you." Craig mumbled. He didn't let Kenny answer and he kissed him again, running his fingers through Kenny's messy blond hair. He already knew the answer. Kenny didn't love him back. "Just let me have this moment." Craig mumbled into the kiss.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, back. Hope you like this chapter, sorry it's kind of short. I may update again in the next day. Thanks for the reviews! Please review if you liked, it helps me continue the story.**

* * *

><p>Ch 22<p>

Kenny returned to his apartment two days later. Craig visited often; Kenny had not spoken or seen Karen since the day she confronted him at the motel. Kenny had an evident look of distraught on his face, very dark circles under his eyes. "Ready to go to our meeting?" Craig whispered as he stood in the threshold of Kenny's apartment door.

"What's the point?" Kenny grunted. "What's the point of anything, really?"

Craig frowned. "Come on. It'll do you good to leave your apartment." He grabbed Kenny's hand. "Come."

Kenny hesitated, his eyes dark. "Alright."

At that moment, Karen walked up from the stairs, fumbling for her keys in her pocket. They jangled as she searched for the correct key, walking up to her door. She stopped short when she saw the pair. She turned away, sniffing. Kenny squeezed Craig's hand; the urge to pull him into a kiss was strong. _Don't try to spite her. That's not the right thing to do._

Karen threw a glance at Kenny, surveying him for a quick second. She realized how terrible he looked; his dark circles and look of pure anguish made her heart ache. She walked into her apartment, shutting the door behind her. Kenny sighed heavily. "Let's go." He mumbled.

* * *

><p>"We have to tell you something." Kenny started, his eyes half open as he stood up. "We… Craig and I…" he looked over the others sitting in a circle, one man with dark brown hair nodding for him to continue.<p>

"We broke our streak." Kenny sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "We got drunk two days ago."

Murmurs broke out amongst the group. "I lost my girlfriend due to it." Kenny sat back down as Craig mirrored him.

"I'm really sorry to hear about that, Kenny." A group member frowned on the opposite side of him, genuine sympathy on her features. Kenny had a broken smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Kenny sat at his dining room table, his hands in his face. The only light that illuminated the apartment was the lamp above the table. It cast Kenny's shadow upon the ground as it trembled, Kenny sobbing silently.<p>

_In times like these, I wish I could die. _Kenny thought darkly.

"Kenny?" called a voice from beyond his door. It sounded like Craig.

"Come in. Door's open." Kenny grunted almost inaudibly. Craig came in, walking slowly up to him.

"You alright?" Craig asked gently, frowning.

"Honestly, no." Kenny answered, his voice wavering.

Craig wrapped his arms around Kenny from behind. He leaned his head into Kenny's back. "It's going to be alright, dude."

"When is anything going to be alright?" Kenny murmured. "I'm a fucking wreck. A worthless wreck."

Craig frowned. "You're not worthless to me."

"I'm worthless to Karen. And that's all that matters." Kenny answered darkly. Craig swallowed. He pulled away from Kenny, smoothing out his shirt.

"Try to go talk to her. If you won't, I will." Craig reasoned.

"She'll slam the door in both of our faces." Kenny mumbled. "No use trying. No use trying for anything anymore, really."

"You're starting to worry me, Kenny." Craig's features softened. "I don't want to leave you alone."

Kenny turned to his friend, a look of disgust on his face. "You sound like Karen."

"Sorry." Craig rubbed his forehead. _Should I leave him be? _He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I'll leave you be for a little while. I'll come back to check on you later."

"Okay, _mom_." Kenny rolled his eyes. Craig laughed slightly, walking to the door.

"See you later." And with that, Craig left.

Kenny was left to contemplate in his thoughts before his phone began to ring. "Hello?" it was an unknown number.

"Stark's Pond. Now." Said a voice, the signal unclear. It hung up shortly after.

"Hello? Hello?" Kenny frowned after the person hung up. It sounded like a male voice. Gruff and slightly deep.

_Should I go?_

Kenny got up, walking to his door. He grabbed his Denver Broncos jacket off of the hook and pulled it on, grabbing his keys. He was slightly intrigued. No, _very _intrigued. He wanted to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled up to Stark's Pond, killing the engine. He hopped out of the car, squinting in the mist. He saw a figure standing at the pond bank. Kenny approached it carefully.<p>

"Ah. You're here." Said the figure, his back turned to Kenny. "Finally." The figure turned around, revealing it to be Travis.

"You…" Kenny swallowed. "What do you want?"

"I didn't know you would actually come." A smirk played on Travis' lips. "I'm glad you did, though. I finally came back."

"What took you so long? Why were you stuck in the plane that long?" questioned Kenny, his eyebrow raised. He was intrigued.

"I had some unfinished business to attend to." Travis turned back to the pond, the thick ice glistening on the surface. Kenny could feel Travis still smirking. "I have some information I think you should know. I didn't get to finish before you left the plane."

"I need to know the secret." Kenny's curiosity was peaked.

"I'll get to that." Travis turned around to face Kenny again, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But first…" he trailed off. "I need you to know something. While I was in the plane, I found something out. I found a way…" Travis kicked a loose pile of snow, creating a spray of glittering pieces dusting the air. "To become a mortal."

Kenny swallowed. "I don't believe you. There is no way to break this curse."

Travis raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but there is."

"How can I trust you after all you've done to me?" Kenny balled his hands into fists.

Travis put his hands up. "No need to become defensive, pretty boy." He laughed. "We are both in this together, right?"

Kenny's muscles relaxed.

"I found _this_." Travis reached into his jacket, pulling out an object. It had a black sheen to it, glistening in the dark. Kenny squinted in the blackness.

"What is that?" Kenny walked closer to Travis, and jumped back when he saw it was a gun.

"This gun," Travis turned it around in his hand. "Is the answer to all of our problems."

Kenny swallowed. "I-it can kill an immortal?" Kenny questioned. Travis nodded.

"I want you to have it." Travis handed the gun to Kenny. "But the only way you can tell it works is to... well, you know. Use it."

Kenny turned the gun around in his hands, surveying it closely. It had strange markings on it. Before Kenny could speak, Travis was gone as soon as he looked up.

"Wait!" Kenny shouted after him. "You didn't tell me about Karen and her past!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys. Back. Hope you like this one. Please review if you liked. It helps me continue the story. I love feedback. **

* * *

><p>Ch 23<p>

Kenny stared at the gun on the table, his head resting on his hand. He sighed heavily. _If I do this, I can see my sister again. _He thought darkly. _But I won't get to see Karen ever again. _

_Don't do it. You have so much to live for. Things can get better._

_It doesn't feel like it. _

* * *

><p>Karen sat at the edge of her bed, contemplating. <em>Did I do the right thing, by leaving Ken? <em>She thought. _Maybe we just need some space. He'll come around._

"There you are." A gruff voice said from the doorway.

"What-" Karen gasped, turning to the source of the voice. "You! How-"

Travis smiled, approaching Karen. "Don't ask questions." He whispered. Karen trembled, her eyes wide.

"You were dead!" she shouted.

"Keep it down, Jesus Christ!" Travis snapped.

Karen's breathing quickened. "What do you want from me?!"

"I need you to remember. I know you've been blocking it out all these years." Travis came closer, placing a hand on Karen's forehead. "Remember!"

Karen's eyes widened, her mouth agape. Her life seemed to flash before her eyes.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mom, where are we going?" Karen asked as her mother and father drove to a dingy building on the outside of town. "What is this place?"<em>

"_Don't worry about it." Her father growled. He grabbed Karen by the arm and dragged her into the building, a sour look on his face. _

"_Ah, you're here, Henry. Welcome." A tall, dark man in robed attire shook Karen's father's hand. "We were just getting started. I see you've…" he trailed off, eyeing Karen. "…Brought your daughter. Excellent." _

_Henry nodded, a grim smile spread across his face. Karen sat next to a boy who was a lot older than her, maybe fifteen years old. She smiled as he nodded to her. He had messy black hair and he wore a suit and tie. "That's my father up there." He spoke proudly. "He's the leader. What's your name?" he turned to Karen, a small smile on his face._

"_I'm Karen. Who are you?"_

"_Travis."_

"_It's um, nice to meet you, Travis." Karen felt slightly uneasy. _

"_How old are you?" Travis asked, eyeing her. _

"_Why?"_

_Travis shrugged. "No reason."_

"_I'm eight years old." She turned toward a podium at the front of the room, a strange symbol adorned it. Karen frowned, looking back to Travis. "What is this place?"_

"_This place is special to me. I come here with my father every Wednesday. It's the only time I get to spend with him, really. I'm not sure what it's all about, but at least I get to spend time with my father. I don't know much about this. But they say funny words a lot."_

_Karen's features grew soft. "Oh."_

"_Let this meeting begin." The head leader called over the mess of voices. "We have a new member today." A grim look shadowed his features. "Henry's daughter, Karen. Karen, can you please come up to the podium, darling?"_

_Karen's gut feeling screamed at her, telling her not to comply. She shook her head. _

"_Come on, dear. It's alright."_

_Karen walked slowly to the podium, whispers filling the room. He grabbed her right hand, a blade in the other. "This will only sting for a few moments." _

_Karen struggled against his grip, her eyes wide. "Please… I'm scared!" _

_The cult leader sliced her hand, cutting a major artery, squeezing it into a fist, blood pouring out into a small gold plated chalice. Karen let out a blood curdling scream. The leader grabbed a bandage from the podium, quickly wrapping it around her hand, blood seeping through it._

"_Let this day be known as the second attempt at the everlasting life, oh lord Cthulhu. May he reign." He swirled the blood around in the chalice, lifting it up in the air. Karen felt like she was going to faint. _

"_I don't feel so well…" she swayed, her world ready to fade to black. Her mind flashed images of a dark figure, her vision doubling. "Please don't let me die…"_

"_All hail Cthulhu!" the cult leader shouted._

"_Hail!" voices chanted in unison._

"_She was the chosen one. I know it. Lord Cthulhu came to me in a dream! He said this child was the Third. One has been found in the town of South Park, here in Colorado. The other two are here in this very room." The cult leader turned to his son, a small smile etched on his face. "And now, finally the last of the sacred triangle has been connected."_

_Karen lay on the floor, unmoving. Her breathing stalled, her lungs screaming for air. "Mom… Dad…" she choked. "What's going on…?" _

_Karen closed her eyes as her world faded to black._

* * *

><p>"<em>Where… am I?" Karen stood up, rubbing her eyes. She had appeared in a dark room, mist swirled around her. She squinted into the blackness. <em>

_As soon as she had appeared, a bright light pierced the blackness, swallowing everything in its wake._

* * *

><p>"<em>She's finally responding. It must have worked." Came a voice. It belonged to the cult leader. "Good, good." A sly smile crept upon his face. "Finally the Third. We can stop our search. This is a great day for this cult, members." <em>

_The members of the room whispered their gratitude to their lord. _

"_Hail!"_

"_HAIL!"_

* * *

><p>Karen's eyes shot open as she let out a blood curdling scream. Travis was gone. She fought against an invisible force, trembling, her eyes wide. She covered her ears, her screams filling her apartment. Kenny sat up, his eyes wide.<p>

"Karen? Karen?!" he shouted, jumping up from his table and rushing to the door, throwing it open and rushing out into the hall. He banged on her door, trying to get the door to open, but it was locked. Stan had heard the commotion as well, scrambling into the hall where he found Kenny frantically trying to open the door. "Karen!" he repeated. "Open the door!"

Karen continued to scream; Stan was surprised no one else had heard the screams and came rushing out into the hall to accompany the two.

Kenny looked over at Stan, his anger towards him had vanished and a look of panic had replaced it. "We need to break down the door!" he shouted over the screams. Curious and angry people began to flood out of their apartments, crowding the door. Voices filled the halls.

"Karen, you have to open the door!" Stan shouted. After a few more moments, Kenny had had enough. He rammed into the door with his side, and then almost kicked it in with his foot, with no luck.

"We have to work together!" Stan shouted over the mess of voices and screams. Kenny nodded as the two counted down.

"One, two, three!" Stan shouted as the two rammed into the door, bursting through. Kenny and Stan rushed to Karen's room to find her covering her ears, shaking, her screams subsiding. She was sobbing now as she dropped to her knees.

Kenny rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her. She jumped, almost pushing him away. "Get away from me!" She yelled, startling Kenny.

"She's really frightened, Kenny." Stan swallowed. "We need to calm her down before the police are called."

Kenny nodded in agreement. "Karen, you have to listen to me." Kenny whispered close to her ear. "Everything is going to be fine. You're safe now. Whatever happened is over."

Karen opened her eyes, her breathing quickening. "Ken?" she whispered. "What are you doing here? What happened?" she managed to choke out.

"I wish I could say I knew." He answered. "But you're safe now." He carefully wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

><p>"Are you going to be okay?" Kenny whispered as he sat on Karen's sofa, Karen trembling next to him, a blanket wrapped snugly around her.<p>

"I'll be fine…" Karen trailed off, her anger and distrust for Kenny dissolved for the time being. "T-thank you."

"I'm afraid to leave you alone." Kenny frowned. "Do I need to stay here for tonight?"

"No."

"Karen-"

"Just because I'm letting you be near me right now, doesn't mean I trust you, Ken." Karen snapped. "I'm still disappointed in you."

Kenny stood up, smoothing out his shirt. "I love you, Karen. I'll leave you be now."

Karen said nothing as Kenny moved to the door, opening it, taking one last look at her before leaving, a look of hurt in his eyes. Karen had noticed dark circles under his eyes, an evident look of guilt on his face. "Just leave, Kenny." She whispered. Kenny shut the door behind him. Kenny pushed past the crowd of curious people, returning to his own apartment.

_I've gone too far now. _Kenny slid down his door, his hands in his face. He needed someone right now. With trembling hands, Kenny fished out his phone, dialing a number.

"Hey, Craig. It's Kenny. Can I come over?"

"_Sure, man. What's up?"_

"…I just need some company."


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys. Hope you like this one. Please leave a review if you did, it helps me continue the story. Thanks for the feedback!**

* * *

><p>Ch 24<p>

Kenny lay with his eyes half open on his side, Craig's arms wrapped around him. Craig pressed his warm body into Kenny's back, sighing. _I feel like I'm cheating on Karen. But she said it herself. She's done._

_You don't even have feelings for Craig. You just crave the attention._

_Hmm._

Craig's hands latched onto the front of Kenny's shirt as he kissed Kenny's shoulder. "You alright?" he whispered, startling Kenny out of his thoughts.

"Fine." Kenny replied lazily; his head felt hazy from the alcohol. Craig willed Kenny to turn around and face him, looking into his eyes.

"You can tell me anything." Craig said, about to sit up. "My arm is falling asleep…" he murmured.

Kenny didn't want to admit that he thought of his relationship with Craig to be a 'friend with benefits' kind of thing. But Craig already knew. He just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. And maybe he was being too hopeful, but he hoped in the time that he spent with Kenny just being there for him, that maybe somewhere down the line, Kenny would develop feelings for him.

_Yeah. Sure. _Craig frowned. Kenny had an expression to match Craig's "Are _you _alright?" Kenny asked.

Craig sat up, stretching. "Yeah." He grabbed the bottle of alcohol on the bedside table, taking a long drink. He offered it to Kenny. Kenny gulped it down, handing it back to Craig.

"Damn, Ken. You might want to slow down a little." Craig had a serious look on his face. He moved behind him, wrapping his arms around his midsection. "I wish I didn't like you so much. This is kind of spurring me on, really. This… relationship of ours."

Kenny frowned, a lump in his throat as Craig leaned his head into Kenny's shoulder. Kenny knew exactly what he meant. "I know."

Craig reached for his box of cigarettes on the nightstand, tapping one out of the box. "Hand me my lighter, why don't you?" he motioned to the lighter on the floor next to the bottle of Jack Daniels. Kenny snatched it up, handing it to him. He flicked the lighter, the small flame making the shadows on Craig's face dance. He lit the cigarette, taking a long drag. "Mmmm…." Craig sighed as he blew the smoke, creating a small cloud in the air. There was a moment of silence.

"Craig?"

"Yeah?"

Kenny sighed as he closed his eyes, pausing for a moment. "If you had an option you didn't have before, would you take it?"

Craig shuffled in his spot, leaning his head into Kenny's shoulder. "What do you mean?" he took another drag of his cigarette, flicking ash into the ashtray beside him.

"If you couldn't die," Kenny started, taking a drink of Jack Daniels, "And someone gave you the option that you could, would you take it? M-metaphorically speaking, of course."

"Well…" Craig extinguished his cigarette, pausing. "That's a strange question."

"I know."

"I think it would be hell to not be able to die. I mean, could you imagine?"

_Yeah._

Kenny nodded, leaning his back into Craig's chest. Craig sighed, allowing his hands to travel under Kenny's shirt, brushing his fingers lightly against Kenny's bandage. "Can I know what happened now?"

Kenny closed his eyes, slightly enjoying Craig's touch. "Uhh… I got shot." He whispered. Kenny felt Craig's muscles tense against him.

"What?"

"I got shot."

"Are you serious, Kenny? B-by who?"

Kenny swallowed. "Stan."

"Y-your fucking friend?!" Craig gasped disbelievingly.

Kenny nodded. "I fucked up really bad."

"Bad enough to get shot?"

"I was drunk and I almost hurt Karen. After that, the court ordered me to go to the meetings. And that's where she had the last straw, I guess. I really deserve it, Craig. She doesn't deserve someone like me. A drunk, abusive asshole. She thinks I love alcohol more than her."

Craig moved his hands away from Kenny's bandage. "Don't say that."

"I'm a fucking idiot…" Kenny murmured. Craig pressed his hands lightly on Kenny's chest, pulling him closer.

"Stop…" Craig whispered. "Don't say things like this."

"I'm practically cheating on her with you. Even though I have no feelings for you. I… I'm using you, Craig."

_Yeah, I know. _Craig thought bitterly.

"What time is it?" Kenny asked as Craig offered him a cigarette. Kenny hesitated a moment before taking one, Craig handing him the lighter. "I really shouldn't be smoking." He lit the cigarette, taking a long drag. "Hmmm…" he exhaled, sighing. "But it does calm me."

"Mmm…" Craig grabbed his phone from his nightstand, peering at the digital timestamp. "Two-thirty three AM."

"Jesus…" Kenny murmured. "I better get back to my apartment." Kenny shuffled out of the bed, Craig detaching from Kenny.

"You wanna…" Craig trailed off, frowning. Kenny took the last drag of his cigarette, extinguishing it in the ashtray.

"Hmm?"

"…S-stay with me tonight?" Craig finished.

"Sorry man, I got work tomorrow." Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe another time."

Craig got up, walking to Kenny. He wrapped his arms around Kenny's neck, leaning his forehead into Kenny's. Kenny's face felt hot from the close contact. "Thanks for coming over, Kenny. I've been so lonely." Craig murmured. "I haven't really talked to anyone. All of my friends left me because of my drinking problem…" he trailed off, closing his eyes.

"I won't leave you." Kenny stated firmly. "You're the only one who understands me. You understand what I'm going through, Craig."

Craig had a small smile on his face. Kenny leaned in, kissing him. Craig kissed back, pulling Kenny closer, their chests brushing against each other. "I love you." Craig mumbled into the kiss. Kenny wrapped his arms around Craig's midsection, pulling away from the kiss. He had a look of guilt on his face.

"I better go now." Kenny had a lump in his throat. "I have to get up at five AM."

"Don't leave me." Craig's eyes glistened, tears apparent in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Craig, I-"

Craig cut him off with a kiss, hugging Kenny closer. He pulled away after a few kisses. "Please…"

"I'll see you tomorrow." Kenny murmured.

* * *

><p>Kenny stood outside his apartment building, taking a long drag of his cigarette. Sirens blared in the distance, adding to the quiet ambiance. Snow drifted lightly from the bleak sky, the moon barely a sliver in the night sky, covered by the scattered clouds above. Kenny had just arrived back from Craig's house, contemplating. He flicked ash onto the ground, shivering.<p>

"I didn't know you smoked." Said a voice behind him. Kenny whipped around, his heart leaping in his chest.

"What do you want?" Kenny growled. Lucy took a step closer.

"It's kind of attractive, really. You flicking that cigarette." Lucy had a sly smile on her face. Kenny took another drag.

"I thought you were told to stay away from us." Kenny said. Lucy frowned.

"I hear you and Karen broke up. What a shame." Lucy kicked a loose pile of snow, spraying it into the air. Kenny took a step back, extinguishing his cigarette on the building wall and throwing it into the snow. He took the box out of his jacket pocket along with a lighter. He flicked the lighter and lit the cigarette, the flame dancing in the chill night wind.

"What's it to you?" Kenny snapped. Lucy noticed dark circles under Kenny's eyes.

"This is taking a toll on you, isn't it? You poor thing…" Lucy grabbed Kenny's arm as he flinched.

"Go back to your own apartment." Kenny growled, narrowing his eyes. "And mind your own business."

"Snappy, are we?" Lucy smiled.

"Where are you getting all of this information?" Kenny asked, raising an eyebrow. "How did you hear that Karen and I broke up?"

"I have my ways." Lucy grinned widely, spinning around in a circle. "I also know you've been hanging around another man…"

Kenny felt that familiar lump in his throat.

"But that's not going to stop me from doing _this_." Lucy grabbed Kenny's shoulders, pulling him into a kiss. Kenny's eyes widened, dropping his cigarette.

"Oh. I see how it is." A hurt voice said from behind the two. Lucy pulled away slowly, a smug look on her face, her eyes still closed. Karen edged closer, her eyes narrowed. "I guess you got over me quickly, didn't you?"

"Karen, I-" Kenny started, but Karen cut him off sharply.

"Don't even bother saying anything. First Craig, now Lucy? What is wrong with you?!" Karen's voice rose with every word, anger evident in her tone.

_Perfect _fucking _timing. _Kenny thought bitterly.

"He kissed me first." Lucy faked a shocked look, her eyes giving off the lie. Karen narrowed her eyes.

"Karen, you know I don't like Lucy. You know she's a blatant liar. Who are you going to believe, me or her?" Kenny said.

"I guess you can't be fixed, Ken. I can't believe I trusted you with anything in the first place. You are a fucking disgrace." Karen's voice wavered, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She was about to walk away.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ say those things to me." Kenny growled, his voice hinting warning.

"What are you going to do? Go get drunk about it?" Karen almost jeered. Kenny balled his hands into fists. Lucy sat back, admiring her work. "You're a fucking lost cause, Kenny."

"Oh. So funny. You're a clever one, aren't you?" Kenny laughed half-heartedly. His chest started to ache. _Is this what it feels to have your feelings hurt? _"Clever, clever, clever."

"I'm just stating the fucking truth." Karen whispered. "All you do is get drunk when a new problem arises. You need to man the fuck up."

Kenny shrugged, a small smile on his face, his eyes closed. "You're right." A strange sense of calm washed over him.

"It's a fucking _terrible_ coping mechanism." Karen hesitated, not expecting Kenny's reaction. "Both of them. Your relationship with Craig and the fucking drinking."

Kenny felt anger rising in his chest now. Lucy was enjoying this. Kenny fished out the box of cigarettes from his pocket, tapping one out. He lit it, the shadows playing on his face. He took a long drag and sighed, his breathing quickening from anger. _Calm down. _

"And now you're smoking. Great. You really _have_ started to go downhill since I last saw you. What, did Craig get you hooked on smoking too? And how much have you been drinking _now_? More than when I last saw you? I don't even think that's possible." Karen said, narrowing her eyes.

"Stop instigating me, Karen. That's not how you help people." Kenny warned. He was about to walk away, his anger about to take over. _Walk away now before you do something rash._

"Go home and drink then. I know you will after this." Karen snapped. "Or maybe you'll go back to Craig and make out with him again, even though it's clear you're just doing it to spite me."

Kenny had had enough. His eyes widened as he punched the brick wall of the building, a crack was heard as he punched it again, and again. Karen and Lucy jumped back, looks of horror on their faces. Blood smeared his knuckles as his eyes filled with tears of agony. His hands trembled as he moved his fist away from the wall, almost yelling in pain, but he bit it back. He breathed heavily, stepping away from the wall, holding his hand. Karen swallowed as the trio fell silent, excluding Kenny's heavy breathing. He was turned away from the two women behind him.

Kenny walked away from the two, making his way to the back door. "You need to get your goddamn anger under control!" Karen shouted angrily after him. Kenny whipped around quickly, walking straight up to Karen, pointing a shaky finger in her face. She edged back, swallowing. "What are you going to do, huh?" she whispered, her voice wavering. "Hurt me?"

"You need to keep your mouth _shut_." Kenny breathed. He hesitated when he noticed that Karen was wearing his old orange hoodie.

"Throw your goddamn life away, Ken. I'm sick of trying to convince you that you're worth something to me. To your friends." Karen murmured, looking down. "You're not worth anything like _this_."

"Duly noted." Kenny snapped. He stomped away and through the back door, slamming it shut, making it rattle and causing the two women to jump.

"Jesus…" Lucy mumbled.

Karen turned to Lucy, her eyes slits. "You…" she breathed. "Stay the fuck away from him."

* * *

><p>Kenny wrapped up his hand, hands shaking with anger. Blood seeped through the bandage. "Fuck…" he cursed, grimacing. <em>You really do need to control your anger.<em>

_Shut up._

Dark circles ringed Kenny's eyes as he plopped down on the couch, flipping on the TV. He grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the coffee table, propping up his feet. He took a long drink, sighing. _No use sleeping now. _Kenny set an alarm on his phone just in case he did end up drifting off. He leaned back in the couch, closing his eyes. An image of the gun flashed in his mind.

_Why did Travis give me the gun? Did he trust me enough to not just fucking shoot him right on the damn spot?_

_Or is he testing me?_

Kenny took another long drink.

"Testing." He said aloud. Kenny thought of the upcoming AA meeting tomorrow after work. He smiled slightly at the thought of seeing Craig again. "Mmm…" _Craig is the only reason why I'm still going to those meetings. And the court order, of course… but admit it. It's mostly because of Craig._

_Yes. _

Kenny soon drifted off to sleep, the bottle still in his hand.


	25. Chapter 25

**Long chapter this time. Hope you guys like it. Thanks for all the reviews! I read every single one and they all make me smile. If you liked, please review, it helps me continue the story.**

* * *

><p>Ch 25<p>

Kenny's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his alarm. He sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Mmm…" he groaned. _Time for work. _After a quick shower, Kenny pulled on his uniform groggily. He headed out the door, almost forgetting his keys. Karen was standing outside her apartment, locking her door. She eyed Kenny's bruised and bandaged hand, narrowing her eyes at him. She hurried down the stairs and Kenny heard the door opening, then a slam.

_Jesus. _

Kenny followed out after Karen as she made her way to her own car. They were coincidentally parked right next to each other. Kenny struggled with getting his car unlocked. He cursed quietly, finally inserting his key into the car door. He hopped in as Karen gave him a look that could kill. He ignored her. Kenny pulled out of his parking spot, Kenny pulled out of his parking spot; it was hard to grip the steering wheel with two broken fingers. He settled with just using his good hand as he pulled up to the shop.

Kenny killed the engine as he parked, hopping out of his car. His manager approached him. "Hey, Kenny. How are you…" he trailed off, his eyes surveying Kenny's hand. "What happened? Are you going to be okay? You kinda need your hands for this job, boy." Rick said in his usual gruff voice.

"Sorry. I'm fine. Just… a couple of broken fingers. Nothing big." Kenny explained.

"Did you at least go to the doctor or something?" Rick asked, frowning.

"No. No need."

"Maybe you should-" Rick started, but Kenny cut him off.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright…" Rick looked unsure. "Your first customer is waiting. Go on, boy. I trust you." And with that, he walked away.

Once Kenny was finished with his customer, having trouble tightening a bolt under the hood, he washed his hands, wincing as the cold water made the broken skin sting. He unwrapped the bandage, grimacing. The bruise was terrible now, a big patch of broken skin on the knuckles. It bled slightly as Kenny dabbed it with his washcloth. Grease got into the wound, making it sting worse. Kenny frowned as he thought of the meeting after work. All he wanted was to see Craig.

_Two more hours. _

* * *

><p>Craig didn't show up at the AA meeting. Kenny had a lump in his throat, shaking off a gut feeling that something was wrong. He swallowed his fears as a new member stood up, a man who looked to be about Kenny's age; with dark circles under his eyes, his eyes darting around the room. He shook nervously, putting up a hand and waving quickly, introducing himself as James. James sat down and the group leader motioned to Kenny.<p>

"Have you seen Craig recently?" the group leader asked. Kenny shook his head, frowning.

"Just yesterday, but other than that I haven't even gotten a call from him." Kenny answered, the familiar lump of fear in his throat. "I'm actually kind of… worried for him."

"I'm sure he's fine." The group leader had an expression to match Kenny's. "We can't wait forever. We have to start the meeting now."

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled up to Craig's house, killing the engine. He hopped out of the car, approaching the door, hesitantly knocking. "Craig?" he called. There was no answer for several minutes. Suddenly the door jerked open. Craig stared at Kenny lazily, his hair a complete mess and his eyes dark. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing his bare chest.<p>

"Huh?" Craig's words were jumbled as he swayed, grabbing the door frame for support.

"Dude, where were you? You missed the meeting…" Kenny looked Craig over, surveying him closely. "What's wrong?"

"I was busy." Craig slurred.

"Busy doing what?"

"Getting drunk."

Kenny swallowed. Craig pulled him into his house slamming the door. "Kenny." He started.

"What's up…?"

"I can't afford to pay for my meds anymore. I spent all my money on alcohol." Craig swayed terribly, his words slightly incoherent. "I lost my job today."

"W-what? Oh god, man… I'm really sorry…" Kenny's features softened.

"You're all I have." Craig had a pleading look in his eyes. "Please… can you buy my meds for this month? I'll pay you back any way you want me to."

_I didn't know he took meds. But for what? _Kenny pondered.

"It's very important I get these meds. I ran out a week ago. I take them for depression." Craig looked down, looking ashamed, rubbing his arm.

"A week ago?! Craig, you can't do this. You need your meds. You can't just stop taking them like that." Kenny had a worried look on his face.

"What do you expect? I have no one to help me!" Craig shouted. "My parents and friends abandoned me because of my drinking problem! I have _nobody._ Nobody until you came along."

Kenny swallowed. "I'll help you."

Craig clasped his hands together. "Oh, thank god…" he whispered. "Thank you."

"You stay here. You can't go out like this." Kenny frowned. "Are you sure you can be alone? I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine." Craig reassured.

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled up to the local supermarket. He hopped out of his car, approaching the door. He opened it, walking in. Kenny passed through the store, looking for the counter to pick up the medication. As he was walking through the aisles, Karen passed him. Kenny cleared his throat as she glared. "Karen." He called as she stopped in her tracks. "I need to talk to you when I get back."<p>

"There's nothing to talk about, Ken." Karen growled, turning around to face him.

_Jesus Christ._

"You need to end this rift." Kenny snapped.

"_Me?"_ Karen scoffed. "This is all _your _fault!"

Kenny felt eyes glaring him down around him. "Can we not do this here?"

"Fine. Meet me at my apartment when you get back." Karen replied angrily, turning to leave. Kenny picked up Craig's meds and left.

* * *

><p>"Craig?" Kenny called as he opened the door to Craig's house. "I'm back."<p>

Craig appeared from his bedroom, swaying slightly. Kenny could tell he was still drunk. "Kenny…" Craig trailed off, hesitating. He walked up to Kenny, grabbing the hand that wasn't holding the bag of medication. "You're a fucking life saver."

"I have to go talk to Karen now. I told her I needed to talk to her." Kenny looked down as Craig gripped his hand tighter.

"Oh… well…" Craig whispered. "I was hoping you would stay for a while."

Kenny bit his bottom lip, looking away. _Maybe for a little while. I'm worried for him._

"Alright."

Craig smiled, taking the bag of medication from Kenny's hand. He removed its contents upon the kitchen table and fished out the three medications from their separate bottles. Kenny stopped him when he was about to take them with alcohol.

"Uh, I don't think you should do that," Kenny started, moving to the kitchen sink and taking a glass from the cabinet, filling it with sink water. "Here." He handed it to Craig, who frowned.

"Thanks." Craig chugged it down along with the pills, wiping water away with the back of his hand. "Mmm…" he stared at Kenny for a few moments before looking away and rubbing his arm. "So, uh…" he whispered, looking back up at Kenny. "You're going to try to get back with Karen?"

"Keyword 'try'." Kenny sighed. Craig felt his heart ache.

"Ah." Jealousy coursed through Craig and he grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the kitchen table, taking a long drink. _I hope that doesn't work out. _He thought bitterly. "Maybe you should just go, then."

"Craig-" Kenny started, but Craig cut him off with a hand.

"Go." Craig whispered inordinately.

* * *

><p>"Eric, I don't know what to do…" Karen had tears in her eyes, her voice wavering. "I love him. I love Ken, I really do. But he's too far down now. I want to help him- no, I <em>need <em>to. But I don't know how."

Butters had gone out to get cat food and Cartman was left alone with Karen, an awkward air filled the room between the two. Cartman rubbed the back of his neck as Karen covered her face in her hands. "Why did you come to _me_?" asked Cartman, his voice a low mumble.

Karen swallowed her sobs. "Because Stan and Kyle went out on a date tonight…" she looked up at Cartman, her vision bleary. "And you're the only one I can talk to right now. I know we don't see eye to eye, but please, I need someone to talk to."

"Well, I'm here… I guess." Cartman frowned. Karen surprised him by quickly wrapping her arms around him, Cartman flinching slightly. Karen looked up at him, the tears drying from her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered.

"Thank you…" Karen placed a hand on Cartman's cheek, surprising him slightly.

"What are you-?" Cartman started, but was cut off as Karen kissed him. Cartman's eyes widened as Karen wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again.

* * *

><p>Kenny climbed the flight of stairs, noting that Karen's door was slightly ajar. He rubbed the back of his neck, approaching the door, peering in quietly. He heard a pair of voices, one was Karen's voice and the other he couldn't distinguish, but it sounded male. Kenny swallowed as he saw two figures intermingling, the silhouettes dark against the single light flooding from a room in the back.<p>

"Wait, Karen, I don't think this is right." Said the male voice, a low whisper.

"No one has to know, Eric." Karen answered the voice, a small pause. Kenny's eyes widened as he recognized the voice as Cartman's. A lump formed in Kenny's throat as he narrowed his eyes. Kenny rushed down the stairs, his hands balled into fists.

_Karen is with Cartman now._

_It really is over._

* * *

><p>"Alright, alright. Start from the beginning." Craig tried to calm Kenny down as Kenny paced the room, his eyes wide.<p>

"She's with Cartman now." Kenny's voice was unsteady.

"Karen?" Craig questioned.

Kenny nodded furiously.

"No way, man… You saw them?" Craig frowned.

"They were kissing." Kenny's voice was hoarse. "I shouldn't even be angry. I did the same thing to her with you. But that's a different circumstance. We were drunk."

Craig frowned, rubbing his arm. _Stop reminding me._

"But we aren't together anymore, Karen and I. She's given up on me." Kenny still paced the room, sighing. He balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. Anger surged through him suddenly. "I'll have a little talk with Cartman when I get back."

* * *

><p>Kenny sat in his car, dialing Cartman's number. He sat outside Craig's house, his hands trembling.<p>

"_What up, Ken?" _Cartman answered.

"Hey. Wanna go out? Just you and I?" Kenny asked, his voice calm. "You and I haven't hung out in a while. I miss your company."

_Strange. _Cartman thought. _"Alright. Where?" _

"The bar in Fairplay. Off of 16th street. Twenty minutes." Kenny answered.

"_Ken, I don't think we should meet there. You shouldn't be drinking. Have you been going to you AA meetings? Karen says you have, but you've been drinking anyways. Court orders, you kn-" _Cartman was cut off by a growl on Kenny's end.

"Shut the fuck up. You coming or not?" Kenny snapped, his patience running thin. There was a pause on the other end.

"_Not if you're going to act like a total dick to me." _

Kenny sighed. "Sorry. I won't drink. I have no money until I get paid tomorrow anyways."

"_Alright_." And with that, Cartman hung up.

* * *

><p>Kenny leaned against the brick wall of the bar, smoking out back. He took a long drag of his cigarette, sighing. Cartman approached him slowly, his hands in his jacket pockets. "Hey, Ken."<p>

Kenny look up, stomping out his cigarette. He grunted a response. He walked quickly up to Cartman, making sure no one else was around, and backed him into a wall.

"W-what's up?" Cartman stuttered, his eyes darting from Kenny to Kenny's fist.

"You know damn well 'what's up'." Kenny snapped. "How long?"

Cartman narrowed his eyes. "How long what?"

Kenny grabbed Cartman by his jacket collar, raising a fist.

"Woah, woah, Kenny." Cartman raised his hands. "Why are you acting this way?"

"You've been fooling around with Karen. I saw you." Kenny breathed angrily, his fist shaking inches away from Cartman's face. Cartman swallowed, his eyes darting to the ground.

"Look, man… she kissed me first. There's nothing between us. She's… distressed. She doesn't know what to do anymore, Kenny. She's worried about you. She loves you. She needed someone, so I was there for her-" Cartman was cut off by Kenny, who pressed him further into the wall.

"Shut up." Kenny spat, his teeth gritted. "You're a master of lying, I know this. How can I believe you?"

"Why should it matter? You two aren't together anymore, Kenny. Besides, I know you've been fooling around with Craig." Cartman's voice was a low mumble as he looked down at his feet, ignoring Kenny's fist.

"Craig means nothing to me." Kenny narrowed his eyes. "Every time I'm with him, I'm always drunk and we end up fooling around. I'm… I'm using him." He felt a lump in his throat.

"Exactly." Cartman growled, looking up. "You need to stop this. Cut off Craig altogether. He's like a drug to you, isn't he? Same as the alcohol. And those two don't mix well, Kenny."

"Don't tell me how to live my life." Kenny hesitated, raising his fist again. Cartman braced himself for a blow.

"W-wait, Kenny." Cartman swallowed, squinting. "I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' isn't going to cut it this time, Cartman." Kenny snapped. "You've went too far this time."

"Hey, what's going on back here?!" a man exited through the back door, eyeing Kenny, who was still gripping Cartman's jacket collar firmly. Kenny whipped his head toward the source of the voice, letting go of Cartman.

"Nothing." Kenny growled, stepping back slightly. The man's eyes narrowed.

"I'm the owner of this place, now if you're going to be causing trouble here, go home before I call the police." The man warned.

"Fine." Kenny grunted, backing up from Cartman, who dusted off his jacket. "I'll leave."

* * *

><p>Craig blew a cloud of cigarette smoke into the air, clearing his throat. "Well?" he asked, sitting on his couch. Kenny had returned to Craig's house after confronting Cartman.<p>

"Cartman admitted to kissing Karen." Kenny grunted, sitting next to Craig on the couch. "He also told me to stay away from you."

Craig narrowed his eyes. Kenny turned to him, frowning. "But fuck what he says. He can't tell me how to live my life."

There was a deafening silence for a few moments.

"…Maybe he's right. All I've been doing is causing you trouble, Kenny." Craig whispered, dousing his cigarette in the ashtray beside him.

"No." Kenny answered shortly. "I'm not going to listen to anything anyone says about you. Everyone agrees with Karen about you being trouble for me, but I don't see it."

"How can you not?" Craig stood up, walking to his fridge and fishing out a Coors Light. He popped the cap, taking a long drink. "Look at me, Kenny. I'm a fucking wreck. I've gotten back into my old habits. I lost my job due to drinking. Did I tell you I was drunk on the job?" Craig looked down, guilt crossing his face. Kenny swallowed.

"No, you didn't." Kenny started carefully. "W-where exactly did you work, Craig?"

Craig turned to him, gulping down the remaining liquor in the bottle. "Construction. Not exactly the best place to be drunk."

"…I'll help you for now. Until you find a new job." Kenny frowned.

"At this rate, I don't think I'll get one any time soon." Craig replied hoarsely. "What's the fucking point? I'm a fucking joke."

"You're not a joke, Craig."

"I need another beer." Craig opened the fridge again, peering in. He grimaced when he came to find that there were no more left. "Great. I'm out of fucking liquor." He turned to Kenny, a pleading look in his eyes. "Do you mind if you buy me something?"

Kenny swallowed the lump in his throat. "You're already pretty drunk, Craig. I think you've had enough."

Craig narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me when I've 'had enough'." He slurred. "You said I could pay you back any way I needed to. Go get me alcohol."

"How do _I_ benefit from that?"

Kenny gasped in surprise when Craig grabbed him roughly by the shirt collar, pinning him to the wall. "Don't fight me, Kenny. I _need _it." Craig growled, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"You don't need it, Craig. I'm leaving." Kenny murmured, pushing his friend off of him.

"No, wait…" Craig hesitated. "…don't leave me."

"I'll see you in the morning when you're not drunk." Kenny mumbled as he moved to the door, opening it with a jerk.

"Stay with me, Kenny." Craig pleaded. "I know you don't want to leave."

It was true. Kenny didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go to his own apartment, confront Karen or Cartman again. He just needed… comfort. He turned around slowly to face Craig. "Alright. I'll stay."


End file.
